Cheescake Topped with Gummy Bears
by XShiori-chanX
Summary: White dress, stained in yogurt, a cocky boy trying to help. A red rose, simple attraction, a date with an irritated girl. A tray of muffins, a kind waitor, a jealous blonde. A cold, starry night, filled with mystery and enchantment. Love.
1. Secrets

**Got no reason, Got no shame,**

**Got no family I can blame**

**just don't let me dissapear**

**I'll tell you **

_**e v e r y t h i n g**_

* * *

_"See that girl? The girl behind the counter. Her name is Namine Saito, and she's really poor, I hear. Why else would she be working here?"_

Namine Saito was indeed a poor girl. Her mother killed in a car accident, and her father stricken with grief, it was Namine who kept a roof over her head, and she was only the young age of seventeen. She worked here, at a froyo store, wasting her teenage social experience away standing absently behind a cashier, serving business men on lunch break, families craving some sweet treat, and other various people who entered her shop. Her dull blonde hair was always tucked in a nice braid at the back of her head, her ice blue eyes glazed over, lost in her own thoughts. Her school uniform wrinkled, hiding behind an apron reading _'Welcome to Sakuranbo Froyo' _that was covered in various colorful stains. Her name tag was perfectly straight, brandishing her name in boring Times New Roman font, and a pointed paper sailor hat sat atop her head, making her look even more ridiculous. She placed an elbow on the counter, leaned into her palm, and drifted when no one was around.

The store was clean, all the tables wiped, all the chairs pushed in. the black and white checkered tile floor was mopped, the white walls with red borders wiped clean, the windows scrubbed free of handprints. Napkin dispensers were full, the spoons organized by color, and the machines were free of crusting cold tart. It was a slow day, and the store was empty. Namine checked her watch. Two hours before her shift was over, before she would bring her father's favorite mourning food home, strawberry banana with mochi bits. She wandered away from the counter, filled her own medium sized cup with savory cheesecake tart topped with gummy bears, and began nibbling on a blue spoon.

The bell in the door rang; customers were filing in. A group of teenagers, probably her age, all wearing the Twilight Town Academy emblem on the breast pockets of their fancy uniforms. School had finally finished in the academy, (two hours after her own school had ended) the private school where only the elite could attend. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the high society snobs, she stowed her unfinished cheesecake batter under the counter and put on a dry smile.

"Welcome to Sakuranbo Froyo." she recited, her tone plain and bored. "Please, help yourselves."

She watched them saunter over to the machines, each grabbing a large cup and filling it to the brim. She chuckled in her head. For high society rich folk, they ate like homeless men. She took the time to examine each of them.

The closest to her, a girl with rose red hair that glimmered in the poor lighting and bright violet eyes. She was the only one who took a small sized cup, filling it with original tart and waiting for her friends. The one next to her, a boy with milk chocolate brown hair that pointed everywhere paired with bright sky blue eyes, had taken two large, and was filling both with as much as he could, including toppings. The girl looked on with disgust.

The next girl was also a brunette, but her braids were much darker than the pig's. her green eyes flickered with horror as she watched the other boy, a messy haired honey blonde with hazel eyes, mix every type of frozen yogurt into one cup. She picked up a large cup as well, but filled it only with cookies and cream.

The last boy, giving off the impression of a lone wolf with the way he distanced himself, was smirking deviously and cracking jokes about the chocolate brown haired boy's weight. He was dirty blonde, his hair a bit messy and pointing mostly to the left and up, and he had deep ocean blue eyes. He grabbed a medium sized cup, immediately filled it with cheesecake, and topped it with a sprinkle of gummy bears, not too much, not too little. Namine smiled; they had the same taste.

"I am _not _Fat, Roxas! I am a healthy, growing boy, and I need to indulge every once in a while!" the brunette shouted to the dirty blonde, Roxas. The latter laughed.

"Sora, Shut up! Just buy the damn ice cream!" the red head screamed, angered. The brunette, Sora, squeaked in fear, and wordlessly handed her a twenty before she could total it. Namine handed him thirteen dollars in return, keeping silent about the twenty-two cents that she kept as a tip. The red head stepped up, rubbing her temples as she handed Namine her cup.

"I'm sorry about him…" she bent forward to read her nametag. "Namine. Sora's a _really_ big pig."

Namine smiled, handing her the ice cream back along with the correct amount of change. "No problem."

The brunette was silent as Namine totaled her cookies and cream, and the honey blonde was looking her up and down in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, so she didn't say anything to him. The boy known as Roxas had given him a look, but said nothing as she totaled their frozen yogurt. They all wandered off to a table in the corner, far, far away from the counter. Namine pulled her frozen yogurt back up to surface and chewed on a gummy bear.

In a total of twenty minutes, the group was gone, the table was wiped clean, and Namine was lounging on the counter, staring off into space.

"Nami? You can go home, if you want." Demyx, her manager, said, peeking his head out of the 'employees only' door with a look of sympathy. Namine nodded, removed her hat and apron, and grabbed her school bag, stalking off.

Namine lived on the ugly side of town, where prostitutes sat on curbs, and strip clubs barfed up drunken men in dazed stupors. She would walk this road silently, smiling and waving to the hookers, who all knew her as the 'hard-working-girl-who-has-a-bright-future'. in Namine's world, these people were her friends-- old Mr. Saunders, who drank his life away, lost his wife, and smoked on the curb, watching the cars drive by in hopes that his wife would return. Selphie, the high energy Chinese girl across the street, who ran an old electronics store and wore tight fitted clothing. Tifa, the woman who lost her true love to another woman and ran the bar inside the strip club next door. All these people would smile and wave to her. The innocent little Namine, who couldn't hurt a fly and belonged with angels.

Namine entered her apartment, a one room, run down shack with holes in the ceiling, carrying her father's frozen yogurt. She found the tall man sleeping on the couch, a ripped and holey ragged blanket wrapped securely around him. Namine sighed; she wished she could provide more money to support her father, but the froyo store was the only job that would take her-- except for a job as a waitress in the strip club next door, which seriously wasn't going to happen.

"Dad, wake up." she said softly, shaking her father's shoulder. He stirred, opening his blue eyes slowly.

"Namine honey? That you?" he mumbled groggily, running a hand through his bushy blonde beard. She giggled, setting his yogurt down and wrapping him in a hug.

"Who else?" she whispered. Her father squeezed her tightly, and she smiled. "I got your favorite."

Her father's eyes lit up with excitement, and she handed him the tasty treat. He devoured it like a ravished wolf--which, considering his case, he was.

Namine smiled sadly and exited her home, desperate for a change of scenery. She totaled her week's paycheck, which amounted to forty dollars and twenty-two cents--just enough to pay rent and buy a small amount of groceries.

Smiling, Namine skipped across the street, frolicking cheerfully into the overcrowded, under priced supermarket. She grabbed a basket, grinned, and began scanning the shelves. A bag of bread, a bag of rice, and some eggs. sighing contently, she came up to the cash register.

"Oh, Namine honey, how are you?" the middle aged woman asked. Namine shrugged, smiling.

"I'm doing ok." she allowed. The lady smiled, swiped her items and asked for the money.

"The bread's on me, ok dear?" the lady winked, and Namine grinned.

"Thank you so much!" she cheered, taking the plastic bags from the cashier. She smiled.

"Anything, honey. Now run along, and feel your father!"

She certainly had to feed her father.

~*~

When she returned home, she found Mr. Saito standing on tip-toe on the couch, his massive stomach hanging out, holding a hammer in one hand and keeping a piece of wood attached to the ceiling with the other. Namine grinned.

"Your finally fixing the ceiling!" she cried, dropping her supplies on the broken coffee table. Her father smiled warmly, hammering in the last nail. "The neighbor's TV said it was gonna rain tonight." he said smugly.

The neighbors, were actually an old couple who lived one floor down. They had a hearing disability or something, because their TV was always cracked full blast volume so the floor would shake. Not that Namine minded-- listening to the news was one of her favorite past times.

Namine pulled an old rice cooker out from under the table and plugged it in, feeding it rice.

"Honey, can you hand me that nail?" her father asked. She nodded, bending down to pick up the rusty metal object and handing it to her father. She watched him work until the little 'ding' resonated around the room, signaling the beginning of dinner.

* * *

**Song used: _Secrets_, OneRepublic**


	2. Untouchable

**In the middle of the night, ****When I'm in this dream**

**It's like a _million little stars_ spelling out your name**

**you've gotta come on, come on**

**say that we'll be**

_**t o g t h e r.**_

* * *

chapter 2

The next day, marked Tuesday December Nineteenth, Naminé was back in the froyo store, clad in her apron and paper hat, gazing blankly at the Christmas décor she had recently set up. School was released onto spring break for both the academy and her public high school, so she could work overtime to buy her father a Christmas present. She smiled at that thought, her mind traveling to a nice fleece blanket for him to sleep with. She sighed and walked around the counter to fix the reef hanging on the door.

She had gone all out, as her boss Demyx had instructed. Using multicolored lights all along the ceiling of the glass wall, all the way around to meet the giant sign greeting 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' behind the counter. She had hung up reefs of all sizes all along the walls, decorated a Christmas tree in a far corner, and lined the counter with empty boxes wrapped in cheery wrapping paper. One she was positive the reef on the machines was straight, she returned to the back of the room, grabbed a handful of tinsel, and began hanging it above the glass protecting the toppings.

"Hey Namine! Quick question!" Demyx said, peering out of his door. Namine rolled her eyes, smiling.

"What?" she asked playfully.

"Whatcha doing for Christmas?" he asked her. She shrugged, her thoughts returning to the fleece blanket.

"Working." she answered automatically. Demyx huffed and pouted, coming out of the back room.

"No! the shop is closed for Christmas. You need to spend some time with your dad, Nami!" he wined. Demyx was informed of Namine's situation in her freshman year, and she had been working under him ever since. He was a childish man in his late twenties, his light brown-blonde hair styled in a mullet and a grin always on his face. It was rare to see him out of his 'hidey hole' as Namine called the employees only room.

"I need the money to buy my dad a new blanket, Demyx! Please!" she wined back, with equal amounts of puppy dog pout. Demyx sighed.

"No, Nami! I'll give you…a promotion! you're now employee of the month!" he proposed. She laughed at his attempts to make her feel better.

"Demyx, I'm the only employee here." she countered back, finishing her decorating. Demyx pouted again.

"You're still getting a raise. And overtime, since you're always here…" he mumbled under his breath as he stomped back into his hole like a five year old. Namine giggled; she sure had the best boss in the world.

She wandered over to the three long cup dispensers bolted to the wall and pulled out a medium sized cup. She filled it halfway with her favorite, cheesecake, and then drizzled it with gummy bears, just like her mother showed her when she was little. She brought her delicacy back behind the counter and nibbled on a green gummy, enjoying the chill she received from the icy treat.

The bell in the door rang, and five people filed in.

It was the academy children from yesterday. The brunette, who Namine remembered was named Sora, the fierce but still nice red-head, the pig blonde, the shy brunette, and the dirty blonde, Roxas. She smiled at her impeccable memory and sang the greeting tonelessly, watching them file over to the machines.

Sora must have hated the way his friends had made fun of him, so he reached for a small cup and filled it to the brim with original tart, no toppings. The red head was obviously pleased, reaching for the same. The brunette and blonde couple had gone for the same things, cookies and cream with snickers on top. The lone wolf, Roxas, had wordlessly grabbed the medium, filled it halfway with cheesecake, and sprinkled gummy bears on top. Namine smiled to herself, hiding her own froyo.

"Welcome back." she said kindly to the red head, who came up to pay first. She placed her ice cream on the scale and waited for the brunette to add his. Together, a total of eight dollars and thirty-two cents.

"Thanks. It was too good yesterday." the red head laughed a little, and she glanced at Roxas, who seemed to be spacing out. Namine smiled, failing to notice the small twitch.

"It's what we're good for." she joked, handing her change back. She smiled, stepped aside, and waited for her friends. The brunette stepped up with (as Namine assumed) her boyfriend, placing both cups on the scale.

"Eight Seventy-three." Namine recited, and the blonde handed her a twenty, refusing to look at her. She totaled his change and handed it back, her smile wavering. "T-thank you."

The last blonde, Roxas, came up wordlessly, handed her exact change, and silently walked away, ignoring his waiting friends. They followed after him, all except the red head. She lingered, a bit enthused.

"Can I help you?" Namine asked politely. The red head waved her off and leaned onto the counter, stabbing her original tart with a green spoon.

"I wanted to talk to you, that's all." she said, shoving a small spoonful into her mouth. Namine smiled slightly, bringing her cheesecake batter out from under the counter.

"Ok." she said, copying the red-head's movements and bringing her spoon to her lips.

"I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Namine." she started, reaching a hand out. Namine shook it, honestly surprised. What brought this on? She's never talked to the customers before.

"Nice to meet you too, Kairi." Namine said back a bit shyly. they ate in silence for a while.

"What's it like, working here? Do you get to meet a lot of people?" Kairi asked suddenly, her gaze curious as she dangled her spoon between her index finger and thumb. Namine shrugged, pushing a gummy bear into her mouth.

"Yeah, I guess. Its mostly the same though. Like families with small children, travelers, those kind of people." she answered. Kairi nodded, her gaze flickering back to Roxas, who was sending her warning looks. This time, Namine noticed.

"Have you ever gotten high school students?" she asked, taking a bite. Her smile was friendly, but Namine grew a bit suspicious.

"No. the kids at my high school hate me, and I never really imagined Academy kids eating here." she answered despite herself. Kairi grinned, a bit pleased.

"Well, here we are!" she joked. Namine laughed with her. Kairi was a fun-loving type of person; the kind of girl who could make you smile through your hardest times, left you a shoulder to cry on.

"Hey, we can be friends, right? We'll stop by every day-- since school's out, and everything." Kairi asked. Namine was taken back; Kairi wanted to be her friend?

"Of course! I would love that." Namine beamed. She didn't have many friends-- in fact, her only friends were Demyx and books.

"Awesome! See you later, Namine!" Kairi called, finally returning to her friends. Namine measured their expressions. Sora looked obviously curious, glancing back at Namine with interest, and grinning as Kairi spoke to him. The blonde/brunette couple was silent, eating away at their ice cream. And Roxas looked down right annoyed, giving Kairi a death glare. She returned it with a noogie.

Namine sighed, eating her ice cream, staring off in space again. And for the fifth time that day, her thoughts traveled to the brown fleece blanket she would buy for her father.

At six o'clock PM, Namine was released from her working prison and set out an expedition to find the fleece blanket. Demyx had handed her her paycheck earlier on-- with an additional forty dollars for her 'promotion', she had a total of eighty five dollars. so, with money to pay next apartment rent, groceries, and the blanket, she marched into a department store, grabbing a fleece throw with a cute dog stuffed animal latched on, and bought it shamelessly. Afterwards, since she had twenty dollars left to spend on anything she wanted, she started window shopping.

Winters were warm in Twilight Town, with the sun beating down on the cobblestone pavement. Mornings were humid and sticky, and nights were brisk and cool. Namine wandered down Market street, glancing up at all of the tall corporate buildings, her mind wandering.

She finally landed back on planet Earth when she bumped into something small. She looked down, finding a five year old sobbing like crazy, looking up at her with big, beady eyes. Namine knelt down.

"What's wrong?" she asked sweetly. The girl let out a wail, flying into Namine's arms and crying into her shoulder. Namine shivered as her cold tears made contact with her bare skin.

"M-Mommy, a-a-and d-d-d-d-daddy a-a-are g-g-g-g-gone!" she heaved. Namine picked the little girl up, bringing her over to a bench. She set the girl down, pulling the stuffed animal that came with the blanket out of the bag and handing it to the little girl. She clung to it like a crutch.

Namine examined the girl carefully. Soft, silky jet back hair, cut short in a pixie cut, with undeniably blue eyes. She was wearing a cute black sun dress under a puffy grey fur coat, along with black gloves and cute little black dress shoes. Namine pulled the girl close, thinking hard of what to do.

"I'll help you find your parents, ok?" she cooed, rubbing small circles on the girl's back. "What's your name?"

"X-Xion." the girl sniffed, leaning into Namine's side.

"Ok, Xion. I'm Namine." Namine said softly. She pulled the girl into her lap, cradling her. "It's ok, you don't have to cry. We'll find your parents, for sure." she reassured.

Xion tried hard to stop crying. When she started rubbing her eyes, her sobs turning into soft sniffs, Namine pulled her to her feet, grabbed her hand, and began parading around Market street, asking Xion for any sign of her parents. She was shivering now-- the night had gotten colder, and she was still wearing a short sleeved T-shirt.

"Where did you lose them?" Namine asked her new carry-on, who was now looking into the crowd with determination. She pointed to a JC Penny, and Namine groaned to herself. Silently pulling Xion into the three story building, they began their search.

Namine wouldn't let Xion out of her sight-- losing her parents was enough trauma for the small girl, and she certainly didn't need to be kidnapped by some hobo. Gripping Xion's hand tightly, they scoured the entire first floor, from fitting room to fitting room, counter to counter. Finding nothing, they hopped on the escalator and rode up.

"My brother's should be here!" Xion chirped with excitement. Namine found this information hopeful as they entered the junior male section and started looking around.

"Do you see them?" she asked Xion in a stage whisper, trying to keep the girl in high spirits. Xion grinned back at her, shaking her head.

She led the girl over to the junior women's section and began searching from afar, acting like she was in military combat. Xion caught on quickly, and she was enjoying every second of it. After army crawling all over the second floor, they went up.

The third floor was nothing but jewelry and fragrance, so there were isles and isles of high class women glancing at watches, applying free sample blush, or just window shopping like Namine was. Xion seemed ecstatic-- she was dying to try on some make-up, like a big girl. But Namine kept her eye on the prize.

"Xion? Xion, where are you? Oh god, mom's going to kill me…" she heard from behind her, and the whizzed around, meeting the back of none other than Roxas's head.

"Roxie!" Xion squealed, booking it to her brother and hugging him tightly in the knees. He looked a bit shocked, then relieved, picking the girl up.

"Xi-Xi, where did you run off to?" he asked her, tapping her nose affectionately. Namine smiled, turning to walk away, when Xion called for her.

"Namine! Namine! Don't go, meet Roxie!" she cooed, beckoning for her. Namine's eyes locked with Roxas's, and she froze, unsure of what to do.

"Roxie, Namine helped me find you!" Xion said in a delighted tone, reaching out for her. Namine approached, taking the girl into her arms, cradling her. Roxas looked shocked.

"You helped my little sister?" he asked softly. Namine nodded, smiling as Xion giggled uncontrollably.

"Thanks. a lot. You don't know how much it means to me. Namine, right?" he said, as Xion reached out for him. Namine nodded, glancing down at Xion.

"No problem. Stay with your brother, ok Xion? Bye-bye!" she said gently. Xion waved, and she left with Roxas.

As Namine rode the escalator down, she thought. It couldn't be mere coincidence, could it? No, how was it possible that she would meet Roxas, the boy who intrigued her, made her curious, anywhere but in that froyo store? She shook her head, sighing. Fate and destiny were trivial things that didn't exist. It must have been coincidence.

As she rounded the corner to continue her way out, she caught something in the corner of her eye. When she looked, it was a long, white winter coat, with fur trim hood and cotton sleeves. Namine picked it up, tried it on, and checked the price.

It was marked down because of a black line that had painted itself on somehow, so she had the perfect amount to buy it. Smiling to herself, she purchased the jacket, put it on, and walked home a happy camper.

"Namine dear, where did you get that jacket?" her father asked when she trooped into the apartment, grinning. She pulled the fleece throw out of the bag and tossed it to him.

"Demyx paid me for a 'promotion', so I went out and got you that. Merry Christmas!" she said happily. Her father was dissecting the throw hungrily, wrapping it around himself along with the tattered one.

"Aw, thanks Nami, you're the best." he sighed. Naminé grinned, plopping down on her own futon mattress, a memory of what they used to have. She pulled her own tattered blanket over herself, yawned, and stared into the hole directly above her head; she asked her father to leave it there, so she could stare up at the stars. She looked at all the constellations, smiled, and went to sleep, after muttering only a few words to herself.

"Goodnight, Mother."

* * *

**Song used: _Untouchable_, Taylor Swift**


	3. All The Right Moves

**Let's paint a picture of a perfect place**

**They got it better than what anyone's told you**

**They'll be the _King of Hearts, _**

**and you're the _Queen of Spades,_**

**Then We'll fight like we were your **

**_-S o l d i e r s-_**

* * *

Chapter 3

The next morning, wearing her new white jacket, Namine trooped over to the froyo store happily. She opened the door at eight twenty exact, flipped the sign from closed to open, and put her multicolored apron on. She decided to be rebellious, leaving the nasty paper hat on the counter.

She was surprised to hear the bell already ringing.

When she looked up, it was Xion and Roxas. She was a bit shocked by the unannounced visit, watching the duo come over, Xion trying to crawl onto the counter. Namine laughed, coming around and picking the young girl up.

"Namine, I wanted to visit! Roxie said you worked here!" the girl squealed, hugging Namine closer. Roxas stood back, a bit uncomfortable.

"Thanks again for…you know, yesterday." he mumbled. Namine smiled, walking over to him and holding a hand out.

"No problem. I'm Namine," she said sweetly. He stared at her hand blankly, then smirked.

"Froyo counter girl. Nice to meet you, I'm Roxas," he introduced. Namine scowled at the nickname, all good thoughts about this boy destroyed. Her hand recoiled, forming a fist on her hip.

"Since when was I froyo counter girl?" she asked in a slightly polite tone. She wasn't going to be rude to her customer.

"Since two days ago. You are the counter person here, right?" he mumbled lamely in return, taking Xion from her arms and placing her on the ground. She went straight to the machines, jumping up in an attempt to reach the cups. "Roxie! Help me!" she wined.

"Yes, I do work here, behind the counter. But I am human, and I have a name, so if you would please call me as such." Namine hissed under her breath, turning on her heel and returning to her roost. Roxas went over to Xion and gave her a small cup, watching her pour key lime pie all over her arm. He got his own medium, filled it with cheesecake, and went over to the toppings, abandoning his panicked little sister.

"Roxie! What happened? Why did it throw up on me?" Xion was crying, tears threatening to fall. Roxas ignored her, drizzling his gummy bears onto his cup expertly. Namine glared at him, coming to Xion's aid with a rag. She cleaned the mess, and bent down to Xion's eye level.

"Here, let me show you." Namine chided, taking a medium for herself and performing slow, careful maneuvers. Xion mimicked her, receiving a nice swirl. She grinned.

"Thanks, Nam-Nam!" she giggled, continuing to toppings. She drowned her ice cream in Oreo cookies before handing it to her brother, who smirked and leaned back lazily onto the counter, waiting for Namine. She huffed, glared, and returned to her spot.

"That'll be seven ninety-five, but for Xion, it's free. For you, five seventy-seven." she growled. Xion smiled, snatching her cup off of the counter and sprinting to a table, devouring her treat. Roxas pouted, but paid in exact change.

"Thanks, Froyo counter girl." he called over his shoulder as he went to accompany Xion. Namine sizzled with anger.

"My name, is Namine!" she hissed, glaring daggers. She began stabbing her own gummy bears, now hating the fact that they shared the same interest in frozen yogurt.

"Aw, Roxas! You beat us to it!" she heard Sora complain as the bell in the door rang. She smiled, watching as Kairi approached the counter.

"Hey, Namine." she greeted kindly. Namine waved.

"Hello, Kairi. Your frozen yogurt's on me," Namine smiled, gesturing to the machines. Sora leapt for the chance, already filling a large cup to the brim. Kairi sighed, waved, and walked over to the machines, smacking Sora upside the head.

"So you're Namine?" a Roxas look alike asked, moving forward through the door. Namine squinted, examining the similarities.

They were exactly the same; dirty blonde, spiky hair pointed left, deep ocean blue eyes. The only difference was probably the pair of black business glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, and the fact that he looked, acted, and sounded more mature. Namine looked back at the table, and sure enough Roxas was still sitting there, teasing his younger sister.

"Whoa." Namine heard herself say before she could stop it. The Roxas look alike laughed, glancing back at his brother.

"Yeah, I know. I'm Ventus, Roxas's older brother. Weird, since Sora's the twin and they look nothing alike." he commented. Namine blushed, bowing her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked. Ventus laughed. Sora approached, his mouth full of a variety of junk.

"Hey Ven, you got to try this stuff. It's better than lobster!" he announced, shoving another spoon full into his mouth and choking on it. Kairi slapped his back.

"Sora, please! You're eighteen already, now stop acting like a five year old!" she scolded. Sora's eyes began to water, and he nodded his head shamefully. Namine giggled.

"Sora, the yogurt's not going to run away. Take smaller portions, and you won't block your windpipe." she chastised, watching as he coughed. He nodded in her general direction, leaning on the counter for support. Kairi sighed, looking back to Roxas for help, but he shrugged, resting his chin on the back of his chair and watching the scene with a smirk. Kairi pouted, a bit annoyed with Roxas, but then her expression flopped to one with an idea. she turned to Namine, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, I know! Nami, we were gonna go play in the park with Xi-Xi. Wanna come?" Kairi asked, her eyes twinkling with hope. Namine shook her head.

"Sorry, I have to-"

"She'll go." Demyx called from his back room. He peeked his head out, leering at Namine, as if daring her to object. She sighed.

"Ok then, I'll go."

Kairi clapped her hands together in delight, sent a winning smirk to Roxas, then returned to slapping Sora in the back. Ven snickered at Roxas, who paled, and Xion was jumping for joy.

"Yay! Nam-Nam is coming with us!" the five year old screamed.

"Oh yeah. Yay." Roxas mumbled in response.

~*~(KUSU-KUSU)~*~

"So you're all going to the academy?" Naminé asked Kairi. Roxas and Sora were performing gruesome older brother tasks, such as swinging Xion by her arms or climbing after her on the jungle gym. Ven stood back, watching with a smile on his face, but was later forced to join the trio. Kairi and Namine were sitting on a park bench, watching them all in amusement.

"Yeah. Sora, Roxas, and me. Hayner and Olette too, if you remember them. Ven's a college freshman." she explained. Naminé nodded, swinging her legs back and forth.

"What about you? Do you go to Sunset High?" Kairi asked. Naminé nodded, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. I go for mornings, and I work all afternoon. I get made fun of a lot." she admitted. Kairi gasped, a bit shocked.

"Why would they do that? You work so hard, Naminé!" she pointed out. Naminé shrugged.

"I guess I don't meet their criteria, that's all. I work too much." she said, waving it off. In Naminé's world, it didn't matter what others thought of her. She would just do what she had to do and move on in life.

"Why do you work so much?" Kairi asked curiously. Naminé smiled sadly.

"When I was five, my mom got killed in an accident." Kairi gasped, bringing her hands to her face in horror. "My dad was devastated, and he stopped working and began drowning in guilt. So I picked up the work for him. You should see our apartment; it's so shabby, you'd think we were homeless," Naminé explained. Kairi turned red.

"I'm so sorry." was all she could get out. Namine shrugged.

"It's all in the past. I just need to work hard now to support my father." she tried to cheer Kairi up, and it had worked.

"You're such a nice girl, Namine." she commented, eyeing Roxas as he tumbled down the jungle gym and landed hard on his back.

"Karma." Namine mumbled under her breath, smirking with delight as the blonde tried to get back up off the ground. She had seen the fall, and gave Xion a thumbs up. "Thanks, Kairi." she directed toward her new friend. Kairi grinned.

"Anytime. Say, did you ever think about dating an academy boy?" she asked randomly, her eyes taking on that curious glint. Namine was confused, cocking her head to the side.

"No…I don't have time for dating." she answered simply. Kairi grinned slyly.

"Well, you need time to start dating. If you dated an academy boy, he could give you the money…" she began.

"Absolutely not. I refuse to rely on others." Namine stated furiously. Kairi backed off, raising her hands in surrender.

"I was just saying…hey! I'm gonna get you a Christmas present. There's no need to buy me one in return, though, ok? So here- don't open it until you get home!" she rummaged around in her bag, did some sneaky things with an envelope, stickered it, and handed it to Namine. Namine eyed the envelope suspiciously, but being one to follow orders, she tucked it into her pocket. "Good! Now, what do you think about Roxas?"

Namine was so puzzled by this girl. She asked the strangest things, gave presents to total strangers, and kept flickering glances to her boyfriend's brother. Did she have some kind of disorder? A mental issue? Or was she just a weird person? Namine couldn't decide.

"He's an overly self conceited cocky pig who could care less about the female population." she answered immediately, glaring daggers at the blonde, who had received a jump tackle from Xion. Kairi snickered at the answer, throwing her hands behind her neck.

"You could say that. But you haven't seen his inner personality. His outer one is that of a cocky know it all, but he's really a romantic at heart. Trust me, I know," she said a tad bit darkly, calling Sora over. The brunette was at her side in an instant, huffing wisps of air like he had just run a marathon. "The time has come," she muttered under her breath.

"Y-Yeah?" Sora breathed. Kairi grinned deviously, pulling him in by the collar and whispering into his ear. Sora's eyes widened, and he began glancing back from Namine to Roxas, and back again.

"What?" Namine asked innocently. Kairi leaned back, motioned for Sora to return to his brothers, and grinned.

"Nothing, nothing. Just a plan I've hatched up. It doesn't concern you, so don't worry." she said sweetly. Namine wavered, a tad bit suspicious, a tad bit frightened, but she sat back and stared off into space for the remainder of their play date.

"Nami! Nami! Can I have more ice cream?" Xion had called, sprinting away from her exhausted siblings and skidding up to Naminé's side. She picked the five year old up, smiling.

"Of course, Xion! You can have as much as you want." Namine said sweetly, and the girl giggled. Kairi stood up, stretched, and poked Xion's nose.

"We can hang out at the froyo store for the rest of the day. Right, Xi-Xi?" she chided. Xion grinned, and Namine set her on her feet. She sprinted away, hopping onto Ven's back.

"Go horsey, go!" she squealed in excitement. Ven seemed a bit out of breath, limping across the street where the froyo store could be seen, Demyx peering over the counter like a spy. Namine and Kairi walked back side by side, followed by Roxas and Sora, who were completely drained of energy and had an arm around each other's shoulders for support. The picture looked very strange, from a pedestrians point of view.

When they arrived at the store, Ven collapsed into a chair, Xion ran to the frozen yogurt, Demyx dissolved into his office, Kairi went to help Xion, and Namine wandered over to the counter, putting her apron back on. Sora fell into the chair beside Ven, and Roxas walked up to the counter, dangerously close to feinting.

"What, never heard of P.E?" Namine joked in a sinister tone. Roxas sent her an annoyed expression, leaning onto the counter.

"School doesn't offer 'Play-with-your-little-sister-who's-energy-is-limitless' classes. Besides, I only excel in Kendo." he mumbled, lifeless. Namine was a bit pleased by his answer, because it wasn't followed by a smirk or the annoying glint he got in his eyes.

"Well then you should play with Xion more often. She's going to hate you in the future if you ignore her needs now," Namine chided, in a mocking tone. Roxas glared, resting his head on the counter.

"I'm the only one who plays with her. Ven's in freaking college, and Sora doesn't give a shit," he said, his words becoming muffled with the silver counter top. Namine smacked him on top of his head, frowning.

"Language."

Roxas rubbed the spot where she hit him, turned his head, and stuck his tongue out. Namine mirrored him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Auntie Kai-Kai? Do Roxie and Nami like each other?" Xion whispered quietly on the sidelines, sitting in Kairi's lap. Sora chuckled under his breath, and Ven examined the duo having a silent competition to see who can twist their face into the stranger shape. Kairi smiled, patting Xion's head.

"Not yet, Xi-Xi. I think Roxie likes Nami a little, but not enough. Nami hates Roxie, but not for long. Once Auntie Kairi is through with them, you can start calling Nami Auntie too."

* * *

**Song Used: All The Right Moves, OneRepublic**

**EDIT: Thank you, MagicRoxSox, for the plot error. :)**


	4. Crush

**HOLD UP. I'VE GOT IMPORTANT NEWS.**

**hokay then, now that I havest your attention, I would like to say, I cannot write for about a week. I will be going to my JO National Gymnastics competition by tomorrow, thus leaving my story time open for absolutly zero. WHen i get back, I'll update White Blood first, then Haunted, and finally this baby. loves alls ofs yous, peace.**

**-Shiori**

* * *

**Something happened for the first time, deep inside**

**What a rush, What a rush**

**Cuz the possibility that you would ever feel the same way**

**about me was just too much,**

**just too much...**

**Why do I keep running from the**

**t r u t h?**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The next day, Thursday December twenty-first, Namine had returned to where she would always be, at work, behind the usual counter. Today she decided on wearing a brown, slightly torn and disgusting boy's jacket that was given to her by mistake from her great grandmother, who believed Namine was Nate, a boy from America. Namine never really voiced it, but she liked the jacket despite it's large size, stains, and the imprint of a monster truck on the hood. It reminded her vaguely of a time that once was, while her mother was still alive. Sighing, she placed the apron over her head and busied herself with cleaning tables.

Once she was positive they were sparkling in the dim artificial light, she moved on to mopping the floor. She went around into her own employees only door, (which was basically a supply closet) and brought her mop out for use. Sighing, she began scraping the rag across the floor, lost in thought. Her braid was tight today, her scalp itchy with the humid air and sweat, and her eyes were unfocused as she fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Demyx, could you turn the air conditioning on? I'm frying in here." she called, removing her jacket. She heard her boss squeak, and soon the rumble of the senior citizen air conditioner was running above her. Namine sighed contently as the cold air blew in her face. "Thanks!" she shouted back to Demyx.

It was a warm morning for Twilight Town, and most teenagers were out in the park across the street throwing Frisbees, footballs, or water balloons at each other while giggling. Namine sighed. She couldn't be normal, she couldn't be a happy, everyday ordinary teenager. She didn't have friends at school to play with her anyway, and she wasn't physically fit to top it all off. Sighing, Namine continued mopping the already sparkling tile floor.

At around noon, when Naminé had finished all of her cleaning chores and was back behind her counter with a cup of cheesecake topped with gummy bears, Kairi's gang filed into the room, laughing and smiling like a normal group of teens on holiday break. Namine smiled, waved, and continued chewing her gummy bears.

After Kairi, Roxas, Sora, Hayner, Olette, and Xion each got their own ice cream, they went over to their table wordlessly, eating like dogs and laughing about fancy unimportant things. Namine sighed contently, watching them and eating her froyo.

Hayner and Roxas had come in playing with a hacky sack-- really random, but ok, as long as they didn't break anything. They were laughing like best friends did, kicking the small brown bag back and forth between each other, ignoring Olette's protests. Sora was being the older brother in the situation, carrying Xion like a baby and feeding her like a princess. Kairi was sending Roxas dirty looks, but she was helping Sora tend to Xion's needs. The whole group burst into a giant ball of laughter when Hayner accidentally kicked the ball into his own frozen yogurt.

"Roxas! You suck, man!" he wined. Roxas slapped him on the back, trying to muffle his amusement.

"It wasn't my fault, dude. You kicked it." Roxas retaliated, leaning back into his seat with a smirk on his face.

"You kicked it to me…" Hayner mumbled. "Hey, Namine, right? Can I get another one?"

Namine was a bit startled by Hayner's call, dropping her spoon and jumping slightly. She reddened in embarrassment soon after, ducking her head, motioning with her hands, telling Hayner to help himself. Hayner grinned, jogging over to the machines.

"Thanks, Namine!" he called. Namine ducked under the counter to retrieve her spoon, throwing it away and grabbing another one. When she glanced back at the table, Kairi looked extremely pleased, giving a curious stare at Roxas, who looked slightly annoyed. He was giving a strange pout/glare at Hayner, who was refilling his cup with chocolate. Olette looked puzzled, sharing nervous glances with Sora, who was twiddling his thumbs in anxiety. What was going on?

"Roxas, don't hurt him. I'm sure it meant nothing, I mean, she just got embarrassed because she dropped her spoon, and then she jumped and stuff, you know, please, Roxas, don't kill him…" Sora whispered to his brother. Roxas huffed and leaned back in his chair, squeezing the brown froyo covered hacky sack. Namine was unaware of this secret exchange, just watched Roxas glare at Hayner curiously. What was he mad about? He was joking to Hayner a couple seconds ago.

"Sorry, dude." Roxas muttered when Hayner came back to their table. He still looked a bit sour, but overall was fine. Hayner snickered, swinging an arm around his companion's shoulders. Namine watched curiously.

Hayner reached for the hacky sack clutched tightly in Roxas's hand, but Roxas only made his grip more firm. Hayner frowned a bit, confused. "Dude, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Roxas answered impassively, crossing his arms, the hacky sack still smashed in his fist. Namine's eyes narrowed, both confused and intrigued. She leaned forward on the counter, dying to hear more.

"Roxas…" Kairi said in a motherly fashion, scolding him, "You're setting a bad example for Xion." she motioned to said five year old, who was mirroring his every action with fits of giggles. Roxas sighed, loosening up. He ruffled Xion's hair and handed Hayner the hacky sack.

"Sorry. I had a spasm." he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Hayner eyed him, but let it pass. Namine grabbed a rag, inching around the counter. She started wiping the glass above the toppings as a distraction, leaning a slight bit towards their table so she could hear more. She was itching to know what was on Roxas's mind; how did the boy think, anyway? Why was he suddenly so angry? Why did he keep sending her strange, unreadable glances? Namine's curiosity was at its peak.

"If you don't mind me asking, Roku, why exactly are you spazzing? It's almost Christmas." Olette asked curiously, leaning forward over her empty cup with a curious/devious glint in her eye. She shared a look with Kairi, and grins began forming on both of their faces. Roxas leaned back a bit, suspicious.

"Nothing." he mumbled. Sora threw him a worried look, biting his lip. Xion's expression lightened, and she began pulling Sora's hair. Olette and Kairi began whispering to each other, laughing and sending supremely frightening looks to Namine, and Hayner began kicking the hacky sack again. Roxas joined him soon after.

What a strange bunch of teenagers, Namine thought, examining the mayhem from afar. She kept her face hidden, rubbing continuously on a small speck of dust that didn't exist, listening closely. She eyed Roxas with interest, wondering why he was such a bipolar.

But when she watched him, she noticed he would lift his eyes to hers. They would share a split second stare off and he would break away, turning his head down again. This wasn't the first time, but usually, Whenever this happened, he would shy out of conversation, and he would stare outside for the remainder of the time. He was different, Namine concluded.

"Oi, Hayner, be careful, you don't wanna kick that into another frozen yogurt--"

SPLAT!

Namine shrieked, a high pitched gurgling noise that sounded like a cross between a mutated mouse and a drowning cat. The rag that was in her hands dropped like a brick to the ground, and the entire store, down to the air conditioning, was silent. Namine's hat had flown off, landing softly on the ground, flicks of brown ice cream clinging to the paper. Her platinum blonde hair, which was so nice and neat in a tidy bun, was dripping, slowly transforming into a sickly brown color. The dress she had worn under her apron was now stained; and Namine was down right pissed.

She could care less about the stains on the ground, or the stains in her hair-- but the dress was another thing. She had received that dress at her mother's funeral, from the police. They had said that in her last final moments, her mother had wanted her to have the dress-- an early birthday present, just for her. Namine treasured the dress, her last reminder of the good old days, the one thing she only wore on the best mornings, in her best mood.

Obviously, she wore it on a bad day.

"Oh shit." Hayner mumbled, looking from Sora and Xion and back to Namine. When Namine turned around, sizzling with anger, she noticed a Sora statue covered in cookies and cream, and Xion crying like crazy, her key-lime pie flavored ice all over her outfit. Olette was scolding Hayner, smacking him around like a rag doll, and Kairi was desperately trying to quiet Xion's sobs, wiping her clean with used napkins. Namine was about ready to go and smack Hayner personally, but Roxas stood up, silently making his way over to her.

"Here, counter girl." he mumbled almost incoherently, holding out a wad of napkins. Namine snatched them, pulling the icky glob off of her dress. She wiped her eyes sadly, almost heartbroken.

"Thanks." she muttered, continuously dabbing at the white fabric, desperately trying to clean it off. She felt a cold rush lift off of her head, and looked up to see Roxas with his own paper towel wad, plucking stray mochi bits out of her hair. She realized then that the boy was a good head taller than her, and he looked like an oversized teddy bear up close. She huffed, returning to her murderous rubbing.

"You know, rubbing only makes the stain stand out. Dab it with a wet cloth." Roxas remarked, picking up the rag on the ground and shuffling into the bathroom. He came back with the grey material wet. Namine turned away from him.

"Leave me alone. I can handle this." she muttered, tears stinging at her eyes. How could she ruin her most prized possession?

"Seriously, counter girl, are you crying?" Roxas scoffed. Namine sniffed, turning on her heel. Her toe caught on a stray glob of chocolate frozen yogurt and she flew forward, making a strange squeaking noise. Landing softly in Roxas's warm embrace. He helped her steady, then smirked. "You are crying."

"No I'm not." she muttered defiantly, pushing her savior away. She went back to rubbing her dress.

Roxas snatched the napkins out of her hand, leaning forward with the wet rag, dabbing it gently on the white fabric. Namine cringed at the closeness, pulling away.

"See? It comes out better when you dab. Here." he said sweetly, throwing her the rag. She pouted, looking down at the stain, surprised to see he was right. She mimicked his movements, dabbing at the fabric. Finally, when it looked like a small clump of dust, she looked up, grinning.

"Thank you, Roxas." she whispered kindly, blushing slightly as she eyed the frozen yogurt that had clung to him when she fell. "I'm sorry I got froyo on you."

Roxas looked down at his checkered jacket with mild interest, glanced briefly at the small glob of chocolate left close to his shoulder, and shrugged. "No big. Here, let me help you get the rest out of your hair."

Namine twirled out of his reach, putting the rag to her head defensively. "I can handle this." she stated firmly. Roxas disagreed, catching her wrist and pulling her closer.

Namine was squirming, she felt so uncomfortable. But at the same time, she was perfectly content; having Roxas hold her close, felling the napkins pluck lightly at her blonde hair. She blushed, embarrassed, wondering why Roxas had to hold her so firmly. Was this honestly necessary?

When Roxas was pleased with his cleaning work, he released Namine, bending down to her height and smirking in her face. She leaned away, fidgeting, her blush spreading all over her already tomato red face. "Now was that so hard?" Roxas whispered hoarsely, breathing a minty breath onto Namine's face. Her blush reddened, if that was possible.

"Y-yes, it was. Please step away from my personal bubble." she stuttered, turning her face away. Roxas followed her movements, his smirk still in place. He reached for her hand; Namine almost screamed in terror.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he leaned away, throwing his hands casually into his pockets with that ever present smirk. She looked down into her hands; there was a single red rose. It was beautiful, elegant, perfectly polished and still holding stray dew drops. The branch was long, but still short enough to hide in an inside jacket pocket, the thorns chiseled dull. A letter was attached to the stem, tied on with silk thread, holding a rather expensive message. Namine looked up to Roxas to measure his expression, but when she looked around, she realized she was alone in the store. Shrugging, she opened the letter.

_My family is holding a winter masquerade ball-- it's the party of the century, I need a date, and I chose you, Froyo counter girl. _

_- Roxas_

_p.s. there's no backing out-- I expect to see you there with Kairi on Saturday night. You girls can go shopping tomorrow or whatever. _

_Later, Namine._

Namine stared at the elegant script written on the letter. She didn't move, she barely breathed; she was so shocked. Roxas chose her to be his date at a fancy Christmas party? What were the odds?

But secretly, she elated that he finally called her by her real name.

* * *

**Song: _Crush_, David Archuleta**


	5. California Gurls

**California Girls, We're undeniable**

_**Fine, Fresh, Fierce, **_

**We got it unlocked**

**West Coast represent now put your **

**h a n d s u p!**

* * *

Chapter 5

When Namine returned home, she was still staring at the letter, reading and rereading every word a thousand times. Her eyes were now trained only to the letter, her ears blocking out all noise, her focus impenetrable.

"Namine? Namine dear, what are you reading? I've been trying to get your attention for so long! Namine? Namine!"

She finally looked up, staring straight into the eyes of her panicked father. Mr. Saito sighed, returning to his roost at the disheveled couch.

"What is that you have, Namine?" he asked calmly, his eyes still weary. She handed him the letter wordlessly, unconsciously fingering the rose in her other hand. She pulled it out, twirling it in her fingertips. Her father watched, curious.

"The party of a century…Roxas…?…winter masquerade ball… Namine, what is this?" he asked, his overprotective fatherly manner showing. Namine sighed.

"There's a group of friends I met at the froyo store, and there's a boy who asked me to his family's winter ball." she explained in a bored tone, collapsing on her futon and continuing to absently twirl the rose in between her fingers. Her father narrowed his eyes, glaring at the rose, as if trying to set it on fire telepathically.

"So this Roxas person asked you to a family party? Surely there'll be alcohol. Absolutely not." he said sternly, huffing.

"Daddy, my friends are _academy_ kids. This party has got to be top class." Namine mumbled, now staring at the ceiling. '_Mom…do you think I should go?'_

"Academy children? Namine, you're friends with academy children?" her father asked a bit startled, losing his 'authority' voice. Namine gave him a lazy glance, nodding. She reached into her jacket, which was folded neatly in her hands, and pulled out her father's favorite treat. Once Mr. Saito saw his creamy strawberry banana with mochi, he was silenced, eating with glee. Namine sighed, standing up. She figured she'd call Kairi tomorrow for more details. She trooped into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, changed into her makeshift Pajamas, and cuddled up in her futon.

"Goodnight, Dad." she sighed lightly, the events of today finally crashing down on her. Her father grunted in reply, coming over to give her an awkward hug.

"Goodnight, pumpkin."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*(Tee-HEE)*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"I'm gonna go next door. Visit Selphie." she said blankly the next morning after yet another conversation about the ball. She didn't know why, but for some reason she found herself standing up for Roxas and acting like she was really wanting to go; not that she was, anyway. She waved to her father, sulking out like a zombie. Mr. Saito noted how off she was, so deep in thought_. 'Ah, young love.' _he thought to himself, shoveling a large bite of cereal into his mouth.

The Chinese girl next door, known as Selphie Zhang, was a hyperactive brunette who helped her father run an electronics store across the street from Namine's shabby apartment. Namine always tried her best to stay away from the foreign student, but Selphie was like a leech gone stalker, following you and clinging to you without ever letting go. Namine swore, that girl knew every person her age to ever live in Twilight Town. The first day Namine came in, a couple months ago, to greet her and welcome her to Twilight Town, Selphie had declared Namine her 'beestest beest free-enda eva' and Namine had never returned, for fear of the brunette's creepy-ness. Sighing, Namine entered, putting a forced smile on her face.

"Selphie?" she called wearily. She saw the curly hair shoot up from behind the counter, and Selphie was directly in front of her in an instant.

"Namuni! You come beek, yes! What you want?" she chirped in excitement, and Namine cringed.

"U-Um, Hi, Selph. I was w-wondering, Have you ever h-heard the name Kairi?" Namine asked nervously, looking away and pulling at her collar.

"Oh, Kai…ree? Yees, Yees! Trusta Seelfee!" Selphie had cooed in reply, taking Namine's hand and pulling her into the back room. Namine eyed Selphie's hand in disgust, wondering if she ever washed it, and where it had been if she hadn't.

Selphie led Namine into the storeroom, where towers of DVD players and old Ipods stood stacked against the walls. Namine began to feel the first effects of her paranoia and claustrophobia seep in; not a good sign. Selphie led her to a couch, where a bejeweled cell phone sat, and she pulled a phonebook out from under a mountain of broken flat screen TVs. She sent a very awkward creepy grin in Namine's direction before flipping the phonebook open and pulling a stray piece of blue paper out.

"Kairee Momokomomo live here-a." she explained, pointing to a crudely drawn purple house sitting on top of a green mountain. Namine nodded mechanically, resisting the urge to sprint away, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Ok, but her last name is Mochizuki. Ok. Selphie? Do you have the right Kairi?" She asked nervously, putting emphasis on every word she said. She had to be calm and speak slowly for Selphie to even have a slight chance of understanding her. Selphie nodded spastically, grinning to the point that drool began to form at the corner of her lips.

"Ya, Ya! Kairee Mokomumimi. Famosh acedamee gir, ya?"

Namine's magic Selphie Chinese/English translation: _Yes, Yes, Kairi Mochizuki. Famous academy girl, right?_

"Y-yes, that's her! D-do you have her phone number?" Namine asked hopefully. With a strange stalker-ish girl like Selphie, it was certainly possible.

"Oh, ya. Here-a, here-a, look, look!" the brunette chirped, pointing to a small microscopic number written down in the corner, folded over and hidden. Namine suddenly praised the gods above for Selphie's creation and thanked her with an honorable bow.

"Thank you so much!" she said from the bottom of her heart. Selphie's sly creepy grin widened, and she saluted.

"No pwoblem. Kairi ma famou gir. I be in fron, ok?" she said, her creepy grin becoming sadistic in Namine's eyes. She took an unnoticeable step back and nodded. (Selphie Chinese/English translation: _No problem. Kairi is my favorite girl to follow. I'll be in the front, ok?_)

Once Selphie had skipped strangely back into the front room and had taken up post at the desk, Namine lunged for the pink bejeweled phone, typing in Kairi's number at a rapid pace. Her sanity was beginning to be questioned as she looked around the shop, noticing the dirty stains, dust, and old bug carcasses. She shivered, wanting nothing more than to leave.

"Hello?" Kairi's sweet voice resonated from the tiny hand held. Namine sighed in relief, fighting the feeling of claustrophobia creeping into her system.

"H-hey, Kairi. It's Namine." Namine stuttered nervously, continuing her panicked glances around the cluttered room. A cold sweat had formed, and she was feeling the chills ripple down her spine. The feeling of being boxed in didn't disappear.

"Oh, hey! How are you?" Kairi chirped. Namine shivered again, closing her eyes.

"I-I'm f-fine. I wanted t-to ask you about the d-dance." she said, her lower lip quivering, altering her speech.

"Oh! You're going?" Kairi sang, and Namine pictured her springing up from whatever she was sitting or laying on in glee, a big Selphie grin on her face. She sighed.

"Not sure yet…but I wanted to ask you a little bit about it. Can I meet you at the park in front of Sakuranbo in twenty minutes?" she asked hopefully. She opened her eyes, instantly regretting it, as a rat scampered by.

"Sure! See you there, and be sure to bring some money! Bye!" Kairi replied, all to cheerfully.

"Bye." Namine answered dreadfully.

**~*~*~*~*~*~(NYA)~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Hey, Nami!" Kairi greeted once Namine had walked up to her.

"Hi, Kairi." Namine said back, a bit quietly. Kairi took notice, but didn't question it.

"So, what do you want to know about the winter ball?" she questioned, her eyes narrowing and a smirk spreading across her face. Namine cringed slightly.

"H-how many people?" Namine asked simply, trying to make her voice a little strict and failing.

"Around five hundred." Kairi answered immediately. Namine cringed, but quickly composed her face.

"Dress c-code?"

"Formal, of course. But you have to wear something extra nice, because you're Roxas's date."

"Why?" Namine turned to her friend, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You'll just have to see. I can't spoil that surprise!" Kairi giggled, thinking of her own personal inside joke. Namine pouted, but brushed it off.

"Ok…why did Roxas choose me? I'm not rich." Namine mumbled, a chibi form of Roxas forming in her head. The chibi Roxas was smirking and doing a strange dance, as if mocking her. Namine narrowed her eyes at the street in annoyance to the image.

"Judging by your expression, you imagining him getting hit by a car, right? Don't worry, his cockiness will grow on you; trust me." Kairi giggled. Namine blushed, embarrassed, the chibi Roxas disappearing from her thoughts.

"But why me?" she heard herself asking.

"If you ask him that question, he'll answer you with 'simple attraction' bull-crap," Kairi started, mimicking Roxas's voice expertly, "But that's his way of saying 'I like you, go out with me.'"

"That sounds kind of impulsive." Namine retaliated, feeling a bit rejected. So he just chose a random girl to be his date?

"Not really. You don't see it, but I've been watching him. He's was spacing out in class a lot before, and ever since the first day we walked into your store, he looks at it in longing. So I made a new tradition to go in after school everyday, and then school went on break, but I kept dragging them out. Then fate happened to intervene-"

"Fate? Really, Kairi?" Namine mumbled, interrupting her friend's little explanation-rambling. Kairi smiled.

"Yes, fate, it exists. And it stepped in and you found Xion, and then Roxas started really liking you, cuz you were so nice to his sister and all. You know Xion wants to call you auntie? Anyway, that's when he started watching you. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he stalks you, he just kind of watched you stare off in space and stuff. You know? Just in the store. And then he decided to give you the rose, and here we are."

Namine was silent. So it wasn't a random choosing-- it was simple attraction, Just as Kairi had said. She looked up to her auburn haired friend, who was grinning brightly, dissecting Namine's slightly flattered expression greedily.

"So…Roxas likes me?" Namine squeaked, a blush spreading across her face. Kairi's grin got wider.

"Yup. Now come on, I can tell by your face that you are just dying to go-- so today, we go shopping."

Namine's eyes widened in horror-- shopping? With a rich academy student? How could she buy anything when her money supply was limited? No doubt a person as bubbly and energetic as Kairi would go all out, buying flashy jewelry, fancy dresses, and designer shoes. How could Namine keep up?

Apparently, she would have to keep up by running. Because as soon as Namine's expression formed, Kairi had grabbed her hand and sprinted into the downtown shopping district, ignoring all of Namine's usual cheap department stores.

"W-wait! I can't afford anything in there!" Namine screeched, looking up at one of the most expensive stores in Twilight Town in fear, as if it was home to big foot. Kairi shrugged it off, dragging the blonde inside.

"Don't worry, I'll pay. And don't you dare give me excuses, because my mom gave me unlimited shopping money for this party." Kairi said, putting a finger up before Namine could protest. "What's your favorite color?"

"White." Namine said immediately. White had always been her favorite, since it was also her mother's. Her mother would always describe white as the color of snow,-- the gift from god-- the color of doves,-- the sign of peace-- and the color of wedding dresses-- the color of happiness. But Namine always saw white as the color of light; the greatest thing, the place where heaven and earth meet, where her mother was now.

Kairi didn't like the color white that much. "Ew, no. you're way to pale to wear white, Nami. We have to make you stand out!" she cocked her head to the side, staring at something just over Namine's shoulder. Before the blonde could turn around, Kairi jumped up, an idea springing to her mind.

"I got it! Sora told me everyone has a winter theme. So, white and light blue are no's for you. Come, come, my human Barbie doll."

Namine almost began crying at the reference as an oversized child's play toy.

Kairi was exactly what Namine had feared; a fashionista, completely obsessive with color schemes, matches, dress length, dress style, prints, and various so on. She had taken Naminé to the junior section, fishing around in a rack overflowing with dark blue, green, and black colored dresses. Namine watched, a little bit frightened, as she flipped past all other colors, lifted up possibilities, and scowled in disgust. Namine was itching to look at the rack with light colors, but Kairi demanded she stay in the darker section.

Kairi lifted up a dark green dress, short, with rose embroidery, and instantly flinched, slamming it back on the rack. "Green is not your color." she declared, continuing to search. Namine looked around, staring enviously at the rack of white dresses.

"OK, Namine? You seriously need to start helping me here. Look for floor length, ballroom styled, spaghetti strap, black." Kairi ordered. Namine sighed, but took her chance to examine her rack of white happiness.

As she fingered through each designer brand, she realized she loved all of the white dresses. The short revealing ones, the long oversized ones, all of them, just because of the color. She started to panic; which dress could she choose? How would she be able to choose only one? They were all so beautiful…

"Namine! Sheesh," she turned around to find Kairi holding a scolding finger up to her nose, "If you like white so much, We'll look for a black and white dress then. Oh, and that's perfect, too! Black and white are Roxas's favorite colors…"

Namine blushed. "O-ok…hey Kairi? Why are you so…obsessed with the little details?" she felt slightly ashamed for asking.

Kairi blinked, but then a large smile exploded across her face. "Well, silly, I'm a Mochizuki! My family eats, sleeps, _breaths_ fashion." she answered simply, continuing to finger through the racks. "Oh my goodness, I've been struck by inspiration."

Namine never had breathing space with this crazy girl. One minute, she's answered a question Namine would manage to squeeze out, and the next, she's attacking dresses like a cobra. But instead of fishing for more dark pieces of fabric, Kairi had grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the store.

Right across the street, to the little eight story wedding boutique.

"M-Miss Mochizuki! H-how is your mother?" the person behind the counter hiccupped, perfecting her posture and fixing her glasses as soon as Kairi had dragged Namine through the doorway. Namine cocked her head in confusion, but watched as Kairi's form changed to that of one with authority.

"My mother is fine, thank you. May I speak to my brother, by any chance?" she spoke evenly, her eyes becoming slightly cold. Namine was lost in the moment, marveling at the effect Kairi had on this one woman. _'I guess she is one with power…'_

"O-of course! Axel is on the e-eighth floor, Miss." the lady motioned to the elevator, which Kairi walked towards without instruction. "Thank you." she called over her shoulder.

Once the elevator doors closed, Namine piped up. "Why were you so different to that lady?"

"My mother is really respected around here. I have to act strict to follow her legacy. I used to be nice and carefree, but then I overheard the employees at my mom's district say things like 'she'll never be able to inherit the company, she's not serious about it.' so I had to change."

It was silent for the remainder of the seven floor elevator ride.

When the door opened, Namine saw nothing but rows and rows of desks, overflowed with computers, ringing telephones, coffee cups, and business women. She was slightly in awe, noting how the room's idle chit-chat was cut short and had disappeared the instant Kairi's ballet flat landed in the room. Kairi really was respected around here…

Kairi didn't move. She waited for the elevator doors to close, then she coughed, took a deep breath, and shouted "Axel! Get off your lazy perverted ass and come here!"

Some employees snickered; a large crash was heard somewhere in the back wall, where a closed off room protruded out. The door swung open, and out came another fiery red head in a business suit and glasses, rubbing his spiky mane.

"God, Kairi! You're so bossy." he mumbled, slumping over to his younger sister and her friend. Kairi waited patiently, and Namine examined him.

"Axel, Namine. Namine, Axel. Alright, you know about Roxie's party tomorrow, right, Ax? Well, I need to get a pretty black and white dress for his date." Kairi explained, gesturing to Namine strangely. The employees around the room began whispering to each other, stares landing on the now self-conscious blonde. She thanked god for remembering to change into nice clothes before she met up with Kairi.

"Kairi. I don't run a prom dress business. This is a facility for _wedding _dresses. I highly doubt Roxas is going to marry her in front of all those people." Axel snorted, eyeing Namine with interest and disgust. Namine pulled her arms around each other, like she was cold.

"Axel! Just find me a black and white dress! I'll tell Reno." Kairi threatened. Namine watched Axel pale, curse Kairi out, and stomp past them towards the elevator.

"Damn you, Kairi, being the only girl in the family, 'I'll tell Reno!' someday I'm gonna kick Reno's ass…" he mumbled under his breath during the short ride to the fifth floor.

"Alright. YUNA! Fittings." he shouted as soon as the doors opened. A flustered brunette appeared, sporting a long braid, a fancy white skirt and light blue frilly shirt, and a pencil jammed behind her ear. She squirmed under Axel's menacing gaze, adjusting the clip board in her hands.

"Yes sir- Kairi? You're getting married already?" at the first glance at the younger red head, Yuna's voice switched to a casual conversational tone. Kairi grinned, shooing her brother away.

"You wish, Yuna. Give it maybe three more years, and I'll be sure to get back to you." she joked, giving the girl a high five. Namine assumed that she was a close friend.

"Oh, so your friend is getting married! A bit young…who's the lucky guy?" Yuna pressed, turning her bright discolored eyes in Namine's direction. She blushed tomato red, pulling her hands in front of her again.

"Oh, it's Roxas." Kairi chirped, and Namine glared. Yuna seemed a bit dumbfounded, her mouth opening in surprise.

"He's getting married already? But I saw him four days ago, and he didn't even seem like he was in a relationship! Oh, maybe it was a love at first sight thing?" she babbled, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face. Namine's blush only worsened as she violently shook her head.

"N-no! I-I'm too young to get m-married!" she squealed, hiding her face with a curtain of hair. Kairi snickered, and Yuna winked her blue eye suggestively.

"Naw, all joking aside, We need a sexy wedding dress to glam up his date for tomorrow's party." Kairi allowed, but the sentence was still too much for Namine's liking. She pouted at the red head, her blush failing to fade. Yuna laughed, extending her arm in a friendly fashion down a hallway.

"Right this way, then. I'll get you measured, then we'll search the colored dresses."

Kairi and Namine followed the bouncing brunette into a private room, completely white and housing small pieces of furniture and a podium in the center, before Yuna turned around, pulling a tape measurer out of her pocket. She had Namine stand on top of the pedestal with her arms straight out, and began measuring he entire body, to the point where Namine thought she had drowned in measuring tape. All in a split second, the tape was gone, along with Kairi and Yuna. She sat down in one of the sofas, a little flustered.

"Ok! We got a couple pieces here, handpicked by yours truly." Kairi said in an announcers voice, entering through the doorway on the far side of the room. She made a pose with her arms out as Yuna walked by, layers and layers of black and white fabric wrapped in plastic in her arms. Namine gaped, shocked.

"You want me to try all of these on?" she asked incredulously. Kairi nodded, and Yuna set all of the gowns on one of the sofas.

Here, strip down to your underwear and I'll help you from there." she instructed. Namine blushed, but did as she was told, while Kairi pulled the first dress out of its plastic wrappings.

Twenty-four dresses later, and Namine was starting to get frustrated. "How many more, Kairi? You barely looked at all the others!" she whined, squirming as Yuna tried helping her into another monochrome ball gown. Kairi merely shrugged.

For all twenty-four dresses, Kairi had walked in one circle around Namine, scowled, and shouted 'next!' and expected Namine to be changed in five minutes. Yuna was sweating from working so hard, but she didn't complain. Namine staid quiet for the most part, but she couldn't take it anymore. Kairi was killing her!

"I'm sorry, but you have to look amazing for tomorrow! I would kill myself if you didn't. and those other dresses, _ick_." she said with a sheepish grin, rubbing her arms anxiously. Yuna slid the next black and white garment over Namine's head.

"What was wrong with them?" Namine complained, her voice muffling in the layers of fabric.

"Dress one made you look fat, Dress two was a train wreck, dress three was absolutely hideous, dress four - oh my god." she stopped short, eyeing Namine with a twinkle in her eye and a Cheshire cat grin.

"What?" Namine reacted dumbly, watching Yuna and Kairi marvel at her. Yuna gave a broad relieved smile and rolled a mirror in front of Namine, causing the blonde to gasp.

This monochrome wedding dress was a spaghetti strap, floor length ball gown, just as Kairi intended. A black bodice with a diagonal cut from right hip to left thigh, pooling into layers of white silk that bunched up at the right hip side. Underneath the white ripples, three layers of black lace, just barely skimming the floor. All over, a leafy, tree branch designed pattern spreading in white on the top from shoulder to thigh, and all over the white silk. It was gorgeous.

"Can I add a veil, just because?" Kairi remarked, holding a black tiara in her hands with black mesh spilling over its edges. Namine shrugged, her own smile spreading across her face without permission.

"Why not?" she said, allowing Kairi to crown her. She looked so amazing.

"Yuna, our work here is done. Tomorrow, you'll be a show stopper." Kairi chirped, pumping a fist into the air. Yuna sighed, relieved.

"Thanks, both of you." Namine whispered, still in shock. She twirled, just for the heck of it.

"Roxas won't be able to keep his hands off of you, girlfriend." Kairi sang in a high pitched girly voice, laughing after. Namine blushed.

"Stop with the jokes, please! I don't even see Roxas as a friend." she mumbled under her breath. Kairi just snickered.

"Oh, He'll be _way_ more than a friend once he's done with you tomorrow."

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been drowned in homework.**

**oh, and Selphie's part: why she's holding up a piece of construction paper with a drawing of a house on it is an inside joke. Me and my friend were talking about going to Utah and stalking David Archuleta, but we don't know where he lives. So my friend drew a house on a piece of paper and said, "HERE! HE LIVES HERE, DAMMIT!" sooo....XD**

**OH, and that's really how Chinese English people talk. I would know. :D**

**The dress is on my profile, and I swear, it's GORGEOUS. 3**

**song used: _California Gurls_, Katy Perry**


	6. When You Say You Love Me

**When you say you love me, Do you mean it?**

**Baby when you hold me, do you feel it?**

**I believe the magic in your eyes**

**I'll be waiting till the end of ****t i m e**

**All I wanna do is make you **

__

**m i n e**

* * *

Chapter 6

The day had arrived, the night Namine was nervously awaiting all throughout the morning. She had been air headed in her shifts, more so than usual, lost in thought, worried, anxious, extraordinarily distraught, and overall scared stiff. What was she supposed to be expecting? A high class ball room, like in those Cinderella movies? A mansion the size of china? She was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Namine dear, calm down! This is just a party. Relax, breath." her father had chided after watching his daughter pace to and fro all across the apartment for twenty minutes without a pause. She groaned in defiance, glaring at her father.

"How can I, daddy? I'm gonna be surrounded by people, and I have to dance, and I'm going to trip over my dress and people are going to laugh at me-"

"Honey, calm down, calm down! You had no problem maneuvering in the dress last night when you showed me. I know you have problems with large crowds, but just stay with your friend Kairi. And please, Namine! Your dancing is perfectly exceptional." her father said, trying as hard as possible to calm the panicking teenager. He looked at the clock again, waiting for the larger hand to finally land on the twelve to signal the arrival of his daughter's date. Just five more minutes…

"My dancing is downright terrible, dad! And what if Kairi has to do other stuff while we're there?" Namine sobbed, bringing her hands up to her hair and clenching her fists.

"Then, as much as I hate saying this, stay with you date. This Roxas boy. And dancing is all in the lead, and as a high class noble like that _boy_," he spat the name, dipping the word in utter hatred. "He should know how to dance." three more minutes…

"What if Roxas has to do other stuff? It's his party!" Namine cried, her brain wracking for ideas to use. Nothing came to mind, and she groaned out loud in dismay.

"Then why would he ask you to be his date, if he was just going to leave you be in a room filled with high class people?" Mr. Saito answered calmly, showing his poker face. On the inside, he was dying, wanting nothing more to get rid of his daughter's nervousness. This was his baby girl breaking down in front of him!

_Knock-knock._

"Finally!" Mr. Saito shouted in relief, rushing to open the door. Roxas stood suave and cool behind it, holding another rose- pink this time - with a smart-alecky smile on his face. Namine stopped in her tracks, watching the silent exchange between Roxas and her father as the latter glared down on the spiky headed blonde.

"You must be Roxas. Come in, then." Mr. Saito said begrudgingly after he noticed how abnormally perfect the younger male was. Roxas had bowed, stepping into the disheveled room. Namine eyes him suspiciously, just waiting for him to make a snide unnecessary comment about the disaster story that as her house, but he merely looked around and smiled. He sure was good at hiding his disgust. As Namine's father stepped back into the room, Roxas turned and bowed again.

"Hello, Mr. Saito. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Roxas Shin….ozaki." he paused in his name, as if giving it dramatic affect. Namine's eyes narrowed, and he turned to face her, giving her an awkward lopsided grin.

"Well, Mister Shinozaki, may I have a word with you alone? Namine, honey, why don't you get ready?" Mr. Saito ordered sternly, eyeing the smile Roxas was sending her. Namine huffed, stomping her way into the bathroom. She left the door open a crack so she could listen in.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Saito. I promise you, I won't let her out of my sight tonight." Roxas stated firmly. She heard shuffling, fallowed by the loud, resistant screech of the couch, and could only assume that her father had sat down.

"Yes, yes. You'd better not, boy, because Namine is the type of person who gets anxious very easily. She has had a bad experience with loud noises, and crowds, and a severe case of claustrophobia. As long as she's with someone she can trust, she should be fine, but you mustn't let my daughter out of your sight." Mr. Saito explained. Namine blushed in embarrassment; that was one tiny part of her life she didn't want Roxas knowing about.

"I understand." Roxas answered simply. Namine peeked through the crack in the door and noted how his eyes were widened slightly in shock. Her blush worsened.

"Good. Now I expect her home by eleven, perfect shape, telling me all about her night, or else you'll answer to me." her father continued. Roxas nodded, saluting with a grin.

"No problem, sir. Just leave it to me." he answered. Mr. Saito sighed heavily, calling for Namine. She sulked out of the bathroom, carrying the black bag that was her dress and tiara, stopping in front of Roxas.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, turning to give her father a long hug.

"Love you, daddy. See you tonight." she bade, following Roxas out the door. He called an 'I love you' back, and then silence rang between the blonde couple.

In the elevator, Roxas finally spoke up. "Your father is nice."

Namine nodded absently. Roxas mentally groaned; he hated silence.

"How are we getting there?" she asked quietly, barely audible had he not leant in to catch the question.

"Town car. Mercedes." he answered simply. Namine's head snapped up, and she looked at Roxas like he was crazy.

"A Mercedes? You brought an expensive car just to pick me up?" she whispered furiously, a bit baffled.

"It's the cheapest car we have. So sue my family, we're rich." he joked, sending her that aggravating smirk that made her want to smack him.

"I might just take you up on that offer…" she mumbled under her breath, but judging by the fact that his smirk just got wider, he had heard.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Namine could see the glossy black paint job of her ride. She sighed, hating the fact that she really, _really_ wanted to slide her hand over the leather interior and admire the car. Roxas followed her silently, watching her revere.

"Like what you see?" he commented slyly, and Namine turned around to face him, getting caught on her toe. She fell forward, arms up, letting out a small squeak. Of course, Roxas was there to save her the embarrassment, but she couldn't help but think the whole ordeal was staged. Fate, Kairi had said…

"Careful there." Roxas grinned, helping her get her footing. Namine blushed deeply, huffing and turning away.

"What, no thank you?" he asked her back, watching in amusement as his date stomped away, blushing like crazy, boiling in anger. She shook her head halfway through, and squeaked in dismay as she tripped again. Namine managed to catch herself on time, but she could here the small chuckle coming from Roxas and she turned around, ready to bite his head off.

But she never knew how close he had gotten in that short amount of time.

"You know, you need to stop doing that." he quipped, grinning down at her. She flushed bright crimson, turning her head away.

"P-please step back. You're invading my personal bubble." she stuttered, heart pounding wildly. Roxas obviously refused, pulling her face back to see his.

"I'd rather not." he whispered hoarsely, closing the space between them.

"U-m, Roxas-"

But Roxas wasn't allowing her to speak. No, he had silenced her with the one thing she dreaded most- a kiss. It was soft and sweet, a first kiss she had always daydreamed of, except probably with another person, because she never believed that Roxas Shinra would someday kiss her. Sure, she daydreamed about it once, (and only once!) but after her mother died, she stopped thinking about those teenage problems and she focused on working hard.

When Roxas pulled away, her lips were tingling, her body numb. He smirked, shoved his hands in his pockets, and waited.

Namine pulled her arm back, and slammed it into his face.

"You _so_ did not just do that." she asked incredulously, enjoying the red mark spreading across his cheek. Roxas recovered quickly, his smirk always present.

"I _so _just did." he mocked, turning on his heel and casually walking through the doors and onto the street. Namine scampered after him, like a soda bottle that had been shaken up too much. She was fizzing with anger.

She followed Roxas out into the open, stomping her feet and dying to slap him again.

"Here, princess." he said, smirking, holding the door of a sleek, black Mercedes open for her. Namine couldn't help but notice how gentlemanly he was, smiling slightly at the kind gesture. No one had ever done that for her before.

Once again, silence overcame the couple during the thirty minute drive to Roxas' mansion. Roxas, lost in his worries of introducing his date, and Truthfully, Namine was still in a full scale panic in her mind. Her thoughts were whirring, a migraine forming, and the annoying lump in her throat never went away. Her heart was skidding around in her chest erratically, and her palms started getting sweaty. Was this because of Roxas, or because of her claustrophobia? No, no, it was definitely claustrophobia. Because, unusually, every time Namine was around the cocky blonde, she felt safe. A little irritated of course, but always safe. She could trust him, even if he was a self-centered, egotistical pea brain who barely knew anything about her. So he was making her palms sweat? Why was she so nervous? Just the thought of it made her blush in embarrassment.

"Sir Shinra, Miss, We have arrived." the chauffeur declared. Namine was much to preoccupied with staring at the exquisite manor to notice the name slip. Roxas had, however, sent the driver a glare, and then peeked at his date to check if she noticed. He didn't want the secret out just yet.

"Your house is beautiful!" she cheered in excitement. Roxas sighed in relief, grinning.

"Wait till you see the inside."

When Namine stepped out of the car, she was in love.

Roxas's home was something out of a dream, a fairytale, a picture book drawn by a five year old. Beautiful cream walls, towering white columns, and a beauty more stunning than that of the White House. Lush, green gardens, covered in flowers for miles. Her favorite, red tulips and roses, at the very front, budding up with water droplets and soaking up sunshine. She noticed people in black and white-servants, maids- running to and from the main entrance to a smaller, still large mansion nearby, carrying tools of all sizes. She walked along the cobblestone path, grinning like a child despite herself.

"Well, well! So you're Namine?" a lady maid asked, stopping in front of her. She was holding a large stack of trays, probably moving them into the kitchen for future use. Namine smiled, nodding, pulling into her shell.

"Roxas always talks about you." the lady continued. At this, Namine's ears perked up. She turned around to confront the blonde in question, but he was looking away, blushing. Namine's eyebrows raised, but she was actually honored_. _

"Oh yes, he says a lot about you. You've been all he's ever talked about in the past week." the maid continued, sending a sly smile in Roxas's general direction. He glared back.

"Oh, Rinoa. You're just _too_ funny." he said coldly. Rinoa flashed a winning smile but was silent, hurrying into the building.

Though she'd never admit it, Namine was pleased. She'd never had a boyfriend before, never had someone like her as more than a friend. And she was pretty sure half of the pretty committee at her high school would die right now if they saw her, Nameless Namine, on a date with a high society Academy student. She felt like she was riding on a cloud, drifting in a fairytale created by her own imagination. But that kiss was so real- she could still feel his breath lingering on her skin. And again, she'd never admit it to Roxas, but she _loved_ that kiss. Even if she hated him.

She bounced up the steps, much more than eager to enter the manor. Roxas chuckled, stopping her by grabbing her arm.

"Slow down, tiger. I have some ground rules to explain." he chided, like a parent scolding a child. Namine pouted, but nodded for him to continue. He released his hold, pulling his hands into his pockets.

"First, you do not talk to my parents, no matter what." he said in all seriousness. Namine yawned.

"How would I know who your parents were anyway?" she asked. Roxas cringed.

"Trust me. You'll know." he muttered.

"Anyway, Rule two, when I introduce you to all those fancy people, just smile, curtsy, and move on." he said. He began ascending the steps into the regal mansion. Namine was bubbling over with anticipation; she was hardly listening to Roxas.

"Ok. Whatever." she waved it off, staring in excitement as Roxas placed his hands on the door handle. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her behavior, and opened the door.

Namine gasped. If she thought the outside was impressive, the inside was lavishing, unbelievable, and downright _gorgeous_. Polished white tile, high domed ceiling, a staircase that split in two in the center and curved inward on both sides, covered by lush red carpet. Baby Sakura blossoms in beautifully hand crafted pots painted white all along the walls, standing against tall white pillars, and shrinking in comparison to the pulchritudinous **(the author is snickering) **paintings lining the walls. She walked in smiling, enjoying the tapping sound her worn-out converse made on the glossy floor. She noticed Kairi and Sora talking quietly in the center of the room, Sora waving his arms around frantically while Kairi groaned. Namine walked up to the oblivious couple, confused, Roxas on her tail.

"Sora, for the last time, your parents love me! Why would they suddenly decide I wasn't worthy enough to date you?" Kairi sighed, exasperated. Sora groaned.

"I don't know! But they've been acting all weird lately, and I'm getting worried!" he shouted, devastated. Roxas came up and slapped him.

"Dude. We've been over this for a week. Ven's graduating next year, and he's gonna inherit whatever the hell he's gonna inherit. They're just stressing." he mumbled. Kairi blinked, wondering where her boyfriend's twin had materialized from.

"Namine!" she cried in excitement, wrapping the other blonde in a hug as soon as she saw her. Namine hugged her back, smiling.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you." she cooed, pulling away from the embrace.

"For what?" Namine asked, cocking her head to the side. The two boys stood off to the side, confused.

"For saying yes to this sexy bag of bones!" Kairi squealed, stabbing a finger at Roxas's chest.

"Oh! Kairi, is that necessary?" he cried, rubbing his chest in pain. Kairi held her magical poking finger up, grinning.

"Of course it is! It's my job as your future sister in law to bully you senseless." she declared. Sora chuckled, mocking Roxas evilly. Namine blushed, trying to hide her face again.

"Well, Kai, we've got two hours until introductions. You might want to get ready." Roxas hissed, glaring at his 'future sister in law'. Kairi nodded in agreement, facing Namine again.

"Come on, Nami. We've got to glam you up." she giggled playfully, pulling Namine toward the blonde up the stairs.

"Six o'clock, Kairi!" Sora yelled after them. But they we're already running down the hallway.

* * *

**Song used: _When You Say You Love Me_, Clay Aiken**

**(Yes, I listen to Clay, and I LOVE HIM!)**


	7. Today Was A Fairytale

****

**Ugh...I'm sorry about the long wait. And the sucky-ness you are about to read. School finally got out, so I have more time and all, but I just didn't really know what to do with this chapter...So It's kind of suckish. sorry! ****

* * *

**

**Today was a fairytale **

**I wore a_ dress_**

**you wore a dark grey T-shirt**

**you told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess**

**today was a **

_**F a i r y t a l e**_

Chapter 7

Kairi ran down the endless hallway, passing portraits of what Namine assumed was Roxas' family members, their feet stomping loudly on the plush carpets. She curved into a separate branched hallway and finally yanked the poor blonde into a secluded room filled with shoes, make-up, masks, and various so on that most girls enjoy playing with.

Namine was not one of those girls.

"Ok, Give me your dress," Kairi started. Miraculously, Namine had managed to cling to the garment through the entire ordeal. She handed the black bag to Kairi silently, watching her eagerly rip it open and hold it out.

"It's so beautiful…ugh, I'm jealous!" she joked, laying it on a conveniently placed arm chair.

"All right. I need to make you look fantabulous, So sit here, lean back, and relax. Let Kairi work her magic." she said with a grin. Namine did as she was told, but she was scared out of her wits. What was Kairi going to do to her? Would she ever make it out of this room alive?

She closed her eyes, feeling the slight tickle of a sponge brush across her cheek and the light stabbing of a pencil at her eyes. She even felt a silky smooth substance wipe it's way across her lips; she knew Kairi was going to drown her in makeup. After all of the small pinpricks and tingles left her face, her attention went straight to her hair. Kairi was running a soft bristled brush through her uneven locks, gently massaging her scalp to lessen the pain. Namine sighed contently, enjoying the cooling sensation of mist as it coated her hair. She barely felt Kairi styling her messy platinum locks into a tidy side ponytail, curls bouncing off of her shoulder as Kairi rubbed mousse into them. In what felt like minutes, she was done.

"Alright, open your eyes!" her friend cheered in excitement. Hesitantly, as if afraid of what she would see, she peeked through her lashes of one eyes, gasping as she stared at a beautiful stranger in the mirror. Her normally pale face was flushed and twinkling, her eyeliner making the blue in her eyes pop. She brought a hand to her face in wonder, poking her cheek.

Kairi twirled away, picking up something she couldn't see. As Kairi danced back, she noticed the tiara from the wedding dress shop, veil-less. She set it down softly on her head, admiring the way it sparkled in the light.

"Ab-so-lut-ly beautiful!" Kairi squealed, pumping her fist in the air. Namine blushed, but gave her friend a cheerful smile.

"Now, go change into the dress while I get ready, ok?" she instructed, pointing to the dress that was still draped over the seat's edge. Namine nodded, approaching it.

It really was beautiful. Black silk mixed with white silk, just like night and day. Just like Roxas and Namine.

Without another word, Namine slipped her casual clothes off and stepped into the skirt portion of the dress. Slowly, not wanting to damage any part of the beauty, she pulled it up onto herself, fastening the straps, smoothening out wrinkles. She called Kairi over, and the red head zipped it up. They stared into the mirror.

"You're really gonna impress him, you know that, right?" Kairi murmured from over her shoulder. Namine shrugged. She was more impressing herself.

"What abut you?" she asked quietly. Kairi shrugged, returning to her vanity to apply some makeup.

"Roxas and Sora's parents have already met me dozens of times, so I don't have to look super sexy," she started, snickering as a blush formed on her partner's face, "And you, being poor and - no offense - a nobody, need to make a big impression."

"Why? Are Roxas' parents that powerful?" Namine asked curiously. Kairi just smiled and pretended to zip her lips closed, applying some blush to her own face.

"My lips are sealed. You'll just have to see for yourself." she sang, pushing the blonde away. "Over there, across the hall, there's a bathroom. Inside the bathroom, there are like, thousands of masks of many different colors. I want you to go find a black one. Kay? We only have twenty minutes left, so hurry, too!"

_Twenty minutes? _Namine thought in a panic. _Ten minutes ago, I had two hours!_ She quickly scurried into the hall, lifting all of the layers of the dress off of the ground, her bare feet having some troubles dodging the fabric. As she entered the next room, her mouth dropped in wonder and dismay, staring up at all of the masks placed around the room. All four walls were covered in masks. Indian witch doctor, Halloween, Voodoo, and of course Masquerade.

"Kairi, why are there so many?" She shouted, quickly making her way to a small black mask hanging above a fireplace.

"Oh, it's Sora's collection," Kairi called back. Namine lifted an eyebrow and shook her head, sighing as she returned the mask to the wall.

For ten minutes, the small blonde flitted around the room, jumping from mask to mask and cringing away from the scary voodoo ones. She continuously tried to match a mask to the silky context of the dress, and always came up empty. After another two minutes of looking, she gave up.

"Kairi, I can't find a good one!" she cried, watching the red head step into the room.

Kairi was amazing. Her face had little makeup, but she still looked like a runway model, especially with the beautiful sky blue gown that fit more of a summer theme. It traveled down to her calves, and had a large white bow winding around her waist. The straps were also tied on, matching the silk blue. Her shoes were classic open toed wedges, white with small flowers imprinted on them. Kairi grinned while Namine gawked, performing a curtsy.

"Of course you can't find a good one, silly. All of the masks in this room are just freakishly creepy. The mask you want is in the other room," Kairi explained, jerking a finger into the hallway. Namine stared at her in disbelief.

"You had the mask I wanted the whole time?" she asked, pouting and placing her hands on her hips. Kairi grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah…Sorry. I just wanted to surprise you and show you what I meant by 'no-need-for-me-to-look-sexy'."

Namine pretended to be mad at the red head, but she cracked a smile instead, walking past Kairi and wandering back into the guest room.

She noticed two masks lying on the chair that once held her dress, and she looked at them curiously. One was white, very simple, with only a few black stitches weaving in and out around the eye holes in a pattern. The other was black, more elaborately designed, with a velvet center and white lace, all leading to a large black and white bow that sat on the corner with beads streaming down. Namine sighed.

"The black one is mine, huh?" she mumbled. Kairi came up from behind and nodded. Silently, she placed the mask on and stared back at her red-headed friend.

"Beautiful. Simply beautiful. You are my best work yet." she joked, putting her own mask on. "Alright, now your shoes, and then we're off. They're over there," she said, pointing to the conspicuous pair of black open toe wedges(the same kind as Kairi's, just the opposite color). Namine sauntered over, put them on wordlessly, and the duo leaved together, Kairi bouncing in excitement, Namine sulking dejectedly.

~*~*~*~*~(J)~*~*~~*~

"Oh, thank god," Roxas sighed in relief, watching his date and his 'future sister in law' walking towards them in the hallway. Sora grinned, taking Kairi's hand and kissing it lightly.

Sora and Roxas were both wearing fancy tuxedos, but they were similar to Kairi and Namine's; complete opposites. Sora's Tux was completely white from head to toe, and his mask matched. Roxas' was completely black, with - of course - a black mask. Roxas and Namine narrowed their eyes at the innocently whistling couple.

"You planned this." Roxas accused, pointing to his brother. Sora shrugged.

"Maybe." he replied, drawling out the word. Namine frowned, but said nothing. Why was Kairi trying so hard to make her stand out?

"Uh…Guys, we're on in five," Kairi said quietly, changing the subject. It seemed to work because both Sora and Roxas stiffened; Namine huffed.

Kairi peeked her head around the corner, turning paler and paler the longer she stared, and returned with a devastated expression.

"There are so many…" she murmured. Sora took her hand.

_"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the annual Shinra Winter Masquerade. If I could please have your attention, for we will be presenting the hosts for this evening." _

Namine gawked at Roxas, completely blown away by this new piece of mind boggling information. Roxas was a Shinra? As in, _the Shinra? The_ Shinra that was the most powerful family in all of Twilight Town, Destiny Islands, and Radiant Gardens put together? Namine was at a regal, fancy party with_ the_ Roxas Shinra?

"What?" Roxas mumbled irritatingly, squirming under Namine's flabbergasted gaze. She tried moving her lips to form words, but found herself unable.

"You…Him…Both…Shinra?" she managed to choke out, pointing a finger from Sora, Roxas, and the brightly lit hallway. Roxas growled under his breath and nodded.

"Yes, I'm Roxas Shinra. Is there a problem?" he hissed. Namine quickly regained her composure, standing up straight and blushing. She shook her head, turning to look the other way.

She analyzed Roxas in her peripheral vision. The way he switched his footing every other second, scratched his unruly hair, and stole quick, nervous glances at her. He was seriously freaking out, and it was causing Namine to panic as well. Why was he so on edge? She wanted to know.

"Roxas…what's wrong?" she murmured sincerely, stopping him from taking another swipe at his scalp. He turned his fearful eyes to her, quickly trying to look calm and failing miserably.

"Nothing…" he mumbled pathetically. Namine stretched her fingers out and placed them lightly on his arm in comfort. Roxas smiled in return, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Honestly, I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" she whispered back. He looked so vulnerable; an emotion she had never even thought existed in Roxas' world. Was the discovery of his real name that bad?

"Please presenting Sir. Rufus Shinra and his lovely wife, Scarlet Shinra," the announcer bellowed, and Namine curiously peeked past Sora's massive spikes to get a glimpse of the infamous Shinra power couple.

Rufus Shinra was very handsome, high poised, and smiling kindly to all the spectators in the room. He was wearing a normal white tuxedo, although it looked like more of a lab coat than anything. His wife was clinging lightly to his arm in a possessive manner, a beautiful brunette with glowing emerald eyes glaring through the holes in her mask. Her wine red dress was astonishingly beautiful, and a feather boa wrapped itself around her shoulders. The two descended the stairs slowly, listening to the audience clap.

"Presenting the heir to his father's manufacturing company, Sir Ventus Shinra and his lovely fiancée, Shizuka Ichikawa,"

Namine immediately noticed the blonde tousled spikes that were so alike to Roxas', and smiled as Ven came to the top of the stairs. He was wearing a formal while tuxedo, his glasses lost for a mask, bright blue eyes shimmering as he held an arm out for his date. This was the first time Namine had ever seen the famous painter Shizuka Ichikawa; she was at a loss for words. Her idol was going to marry her date's brother. Shizuka was actually an average looking brunette with short cropped hair hanging plain and straight down her back, ending just below her shoulders. Her eyes were a liquid amber, glowing radiantly in the bright lights, a warm chocolate brown hiding deep within. Her dress was plain and white, similar to Kairi's. The couple made their way down the stairs.

_"Now presenting the stars of tonight's events, the troublesome twins, Sir Sora Shinra and his future fiancée Miss Kairi Mochizuki, and of course, Sir Roxas Shinra and his date for the evening, Miss Namine Saito."_

All was quiet as the four teenagers stepped onto the stairwell. Sora and Kairi had gotten a handful of applause, but as soon as the invisible blonde wearing the best dress in the history of the world became visible, time had stood still.

_"Roxas found a date?"_

_"I wonder who she is."_

_"I've never heard of the name Saito, though."_

_"What nonsense! Roxas has finally found himself a lass, and she's beautiful!"_

She blushed as she heard some of the many whispers that erupted around the room. She was still amazed by the number of people who had managed to fill the entire front area; all dressed in light, winter themed colors, unlike the dark duo that was Namine and Roxas. She gaped at first, but smiled bashfully as all eyes traveled to her. Sora and Kairi quickly flew down the stairs, and Roxas followed after, keeping a safe hold on Namine's arm. She blushed, but tried her best to ignore it.

"And finally, last in the Shinra household, little miss Xion, and her babysitter, Sir Zidane Tribal."

Namine turned her head slightly to catch a rather tall servant holding the bubbly five year old on his back. Xion's hair was pinned back with snowflake hairclips, and her white dress and mask matched the theme perfectly. She sat up on Zidane's back and waved to the crowd, causing most to laugh at her cuteness. Namine smiled a little, turning to face forward as she continued declining down the stairs.

"Thank you, and please enjoy your evening." the announcer called, just as she reached the foot of the stairs and was staring straight back at Mrs. Shinra herself. She seemed cruel, glaring down on her, as if questioning why she was there. Namine shrunk slightly.

"Mother, Father, this is Namine." Roxas introduced stiffly. Rufus Shinra held a cheery, lopsided grin on his face as he stepped forward to shake her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. You do look lavishing." he said kindly, causing the girl to blush. "I do wonder how my Roxas discovered such a beautiful white rose."

Namine, building courage, replied. "Please, Sir. You flatter me too much."

"Yes, Rufus. You flatter this nobody much to much." Scarlet Shinra snapped, looking down upon Namine with hate filled eyes. She shrunk again.

"Mom, shut up!" Roxas hissed. Mrs. Shinra just scoffed, scowling at her son now.

"Roxas, you are a boy of high class. Why must you bring this vulgar filth which stands before me and asks for my respect?" she snapped at him. Roxas turned bright red in anger, pulling the dazed Namine behind him.

"Don't talk to her like that. If you have a problem, so be it. I brought Namine because I wanted to bring her." Roxas growled. Namine's eyes widened in surprise; Roxas was protecting her? From his own mother? Mr. Shinra stepped forward, acting as a barrier between mother and son.

"He's right, Scarlet. If Roxas would like to bring a -no offense, dear Namine- low class civilian into our regal party, then so be it. We should not interfere with his love life." Rufus said sternly, throwing Roxas a wink at the end. He smiled back at his father.

"Come on, Namine." he mumbled, taking her hand and literally dragging her as far away from his parents as possible. She was still dazed and confused, wondering how such a beautiful woman could hide a personality so nasty. How dare she call her vulgar filth! Namine worked as hard as she possibly could to support her father. What was so bad about that? Just because she was at the bottom of the social food chain didn't mean she wasn't human. Discovering a newfound hating of Roxas' mother, she scowled as Roxas pulled her through the crowds.

"Wait! Roxas!" Sora's voice called, and the blonde duo came to a slow stop. The spiky mane of Sora's head came into view, and slowly Kairi and Sora came forward, huffing out air.

"What happened?" Sora asked his brother, who still looked a little sour.

"Mom. She's such a bitch sometimes!" Roxas replied, his fist curling in anger. Namine began ignoring the conversation.

"Oh. Did she make fun of her?" Sora asked in a quieter tone. Roxas just nodded stiffly. Kairi, who had remained quiet and held an unhappy expression on her face through the entire ordeal, stepped forward, placing her hands on Namine's small shoulders.

"Nami, don't listen to what that woman has to say. She doesn't know the real you; and she doesn't have the right to critique you. If you're here, you're here. There's nothing she can do about it." she said softly. The boys became silent, listening to the 'girl-advice-exchange'. Namine sighed, looking into Kairi's violet eyes, a little upset.

"Why does she hate me so much?" she murmured. Kairi smiled.

"Scarlet hate's everyone. She even hated me at first, said I was too 'low class' for Sora's tastes. Don't take what she says to heart," Kairi instructed. Roxas stepped forward, taking Namine's hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," he mumbled. Namine shook her head.

"No…I'm fine. Really." she smiled.

This was unexpected. She was actually somewhat getting along with Roxas for once. In her imagination all throughout the morning, she visualized screaming, pouting, arguing, some acts of violence here and there, and even a drink or two dropped on his head. She never would have thought they would be having a nice little moment comforting each other. Her grin widened, and she clasped her fingers around Roxas'. he smiled back.

"Well, we can't let the night waste away. Can I have this dance?" he asked, bowing low. Namine, who tried to act cool, giggled in response and allowed him to lead the way.

Of course, when she looked away from those captivating blue eyes of his and stood stricken with fear in front of a massive crowd of dancers and spectators, she wanted nothing more than to run.

Completely oblivious to the distressed maiden he tugged into the crowd, Roxas walked along, bumping into people, making way. Namine shuddered at the contact she kept receiving until tears finally built their way into her eyes.

_I can't do this…too many people…claustrophobia…I'm sorry, Roxas._

She pulled her hand away and sprinted off in the opposite direction, shaking from head to toe in sobs and cowering away from the audience, ignoring the awkward stares she received. She could faintly hear Roxas' voice in the back of her mind, calling her name, but she couldn't stop; she had to get away.

Not entirely watching where she was going, Namine collided with a young man about her age carrying a small silver tray of muffins. She cursed quietly under her breath, and the man picked himself up.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

She turned to give him a quick answer, but as soon as she looked up, the emerald view was all she could see.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUN! *dramatic thunder and lightning in the background***

**Song used: _Today was a Fairytale_, Taylor Swift**


	8. Louder Than Thunder

**I don't think I deserve it, _selflessness_**

**Find your way into my heart.**

**All stars could be brighter**

**All hearts could be**

_**W a r m e r**_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

The emerald eyed man helped poor Namine up, dusting his tuxedo jacket off.

"Um…Are you alright, miss?" he asked again, feeling uncomfortable under her twinkling gaze. Namine shook her head to wake herself up, smiling.

"Oh, I'm fine!" she assured. The emerald eyed man smiled in relief, removing his mask for a split second.

"That's good. Wouldn't want Sir Roxas to kick my ass later for hurting his date," he joked. Namine let out a hearty laugh, holding out a hand to shake. He look it.

"I'm Namine," she said cheerfully, her heart working overtime. _What was this feeling? _she thought to herself. _I'm getting Goosebumps._

"I'm Riku. I work as a waiter here, but Sora likes to introduce me as his best friend," he said. Namine pulled her hand back, blushing.

_He's so cute._ she thought, feeling the color fill her cheeks. She eyed his long platinum hair that hung down past his shoulders, his perfectly pampered tuxedo that was perfectly symmetrical, and of course the emerald green eyes that held her immobile.

Although she smiled and blushed with this flawless stranger, a small portion of herself was drowning in guilt. It wasn't supposed to be emerald eyes she was staring into, it should have been that bright ocean blue…

Speaking of which, the owner of said ocean eyes came barreling through the crowds around them, breathing heavily and tripping over his own feet. Namine turned to him for only a mere second before repositioning her attention to Riku.

"Namine, thank god you're ok…" he broke off, noticing the adoration Namine held towards his brother's best friend. "Hello, Riku."

Riku bowed before Roxas, but a chill ran through his spine. Why was Roxas giving him the look of a devil? He had just caught his lady for him, did he not? He shuddered, turning to face anywhere but at the blonde who was sizzling in anger. Which was unfortunately (for him) at Namine.

"So…what were you two doing?" Roxas asked through clenched teeth. Namine sent a surprisingly cheerful smile his way.

"I'm sorry for running…I got claustrophobic. Anyway, I kind of ran into Riku and he helped me up." she said, flattening the fabric of her dress out. Roxas raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Well, I shouldn't ruin your evening, so please, go on and have fun," Riku urged, still shaking from the death glare he couldn't see. He bent down to pick up the muffins he had dropped.

"Oh, here. Let me help you," Namine said, bending forward. Riku protested, but as a determined young girl, Namine ignored him.

It was then that Riku felt the full force of a doom glare on his back. Vicious hate filled eyes, a soft ocean blue raging in a tsunami of anger. A larger shudder rippled down his spine and set his hairs on end, and he froze, turning around silently to face the blonde.

Roxas was fuming. In Riku's imagination, with Roxas towering over his crouched form, flames were raging in the background. The furious tsunami had become a hurricane, whistling winds racing across his pupils and the ocean spray disappearing behind walls of resentment. Riku released a small squeak of terror, rushing to finish collecting the small treats which he had dropped. Once he had secured all of the muffins, he placed them back on the tray, snatched the ones from Namine greedily, and bowed before both blondes before sprinting off in the opposite direction.

"Riku!" Namine called after him, wondering why he had ran off so unsuspectingly. She began to take a few steps after him, but Roxas grabbed her wrist.

"He has work to do, Namine," he said stiffly. She turned to him, slightly annoyed by the tone in his voice, and harshly pulled her hand away. She glared at Roxas, who glared back.

"Well he might be a waiter, but he's still at a party! He can have some fun too!" she growled. Roxas' eye twitched, and he huffed, turning around.

"Fine. Go then, if you want to. Go!" he spat. Namine flinched slightly from the venom coating every word he muttered, and felt extremely guilt as she watched him stomp away. She couldn't help but snarl at him when he was being so…so… so _mean_! what did Riku do to deserve that kind of treatment? Absolutely nothing!

The guilt slowly dissolved inside of Namine, and she picked up her dress. Pouting, she wandered after the speedy waiter.

Meanwhile, a still fuming Roxas sat himself down at the top of the stairs, hiding in the shadows away from the party. He blocked out the music, blocked out the laughs and cheerful conversations, blocked out the world; he just wanted to be alone.

Roxas was always alone. He never wanted friends, he never wanted pets. He just wanted to be alone. Sora worried about him because of this, but a person like Sora would never understand; he was the exact opposite of Roxas, who liked striking up conversations with random strangers and helping out anyone in need. Roxas just wanted to be unseen, unheard, invisible. That was why he changed his name before Namine and her father - he didn't want unneeded attention.

And Namine; the one person Roxas thought he could open up too, walking away, searching for another man. He laughed humorlessly to himself, shaking his head as his eyes narrowed. Why was he so naïve? How could he believe that she would like him for who he was? A lonely, cocky bastard. An emo, depressant, antisocial, unwanted, invisible, lonely bastard. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in his knees. Of course, at his own party, he would go unseen, seemingly fading into the darkness.

"Roxie, you're being emo again."

"Remember what I said about hypocorism, _Venny?"_

Roxas looked up to find his older brother walking up the stairs, his tuxedo jacket draped over his arm and his mask clutched in his hand. He was smirking that knowing smirk as he came over to sit besides Roxas. He pulled one knee to his chest, resting his arm on it.

"What's eating you?" he asked sincerely. Roxas shrugged, placing his chin back on his knees.

"Namine." he answered begrudgingly. Ven nodded in acknowledgement.

"Come on, tell me everything."

So he did. Roxas completely opened up, venting about every tiny fraction of a second he had spent with the girl. The day they first met, the way she found Xion, the rose, her father, up until Riku. Once he got into the topic of the silver haired lady killer, he began to hiss, spitting his name out in complete hostility. Ven nodded silently, soaking up the information like a sponge.

"So you're jealous." Ven concluded. Roxas' head jerked up, surprised.

"I'm not jealous!" he denied hopelessly. The real answer was written all over his face.

"Please, Roxas. I've known you since birth. You've never been this way around someone other than family," Ven scoffed, smiling as he threw a punch at his shoulder. Roxas pouted, opening his mouth to protest, but Ven stopped him.

"Roxas, I know jealousy when I see it. Remember that one time when Olette hung out with you _way_ to much? Hayner got so mad, he gave you a black eye? Or even when Kairi started flirting with Terra to see Sora's reaction. He got pissed, remember? Its even happened to me once before. Trust me, I know." he chuckled. Roxas sighed in defeat, knowing his brother was right; Ven was always right.

"Alright, fine. I'm a little jealous." he finally admitted. Ven smiled in satisfaction, standing up. Roxas smirked. "And since I have proven you right once again, How exactly did you get jealous in the past?"

Ven blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "That's a story I'd rather not tell."

Roxas wouldn't have it. "Come on, tell me!" he whined using the little brother persuasive tone.

"Ugh…I'm going to regret this…in high school Shizuka wanted to go to some dance with this random guy I didn't know. She said she wanted to go with him because he was her best friend and he couldn't get a date, so I was cool with it. At the dance, I saw the dude kiss her on the cheek and…yeah. I sorta…pushed him against a wall and punched him…just once! And I asked him what he was doing…and well…he said he was gay."

Roxas burst out laughing, his mood lifting fast. Ven blushed furiously, poking his fingers together in embarrassment.

"That is gold. You got jealous over a gay guy? That is _gold_." he said between chuckles. Ven smacked him playfully as they walked back down the stairs.

"Shut up. It's bad enough Shizu teases me about it," he mumbled. They both saw said girl look up and wave, beckoning them forward.

"Ventus Shinra. Jealous of gay people." Roxas announced. Ven smacked him once again.

"Go find your girlfriend, Roxie."

"Hypocorism, Venny."

Meanwhile, Namine had finally caught up to the flustered Riku, who was huffing out air and looking to and fro in a frantic manner. She tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Lady Namine!" he called loudly, clutching his heart in shock. Namine giggled.

"Did I scare you?" she asked sweetly. Riku gulped, looking all around the oblivious blonde.

"Well…yes. Why did you follow me?" he asked, continuing to glance around in anxiety. Namine pouted.

"Roxas was being a butthead like always and I wanted to know why you ran off so fast," she explained. Riku gulped again.

"Well I assure you that I'm fine. Please, go enjoy your evening!" he urged. Namine stomped her foot.

"I won't have that! I finally caught up to you and now you're shooing me away?"

"No, I wasn't-"

"And I finally got away from Roxas, too."

"That's the problem, miss-"

"We're going to have a nice dance whether you want to or not!"

Without the boy's consent, Namine dragged poor Riku into the crowds, stopping somewhere near the center. She smiled warmly, pulling his hand onto her waist as she placed her own on his shoulder. They began swaying awkwardly, neither one knowing what to do.

Namine blushed. She didn't know what had come over her in that split second. What had caused her to act so brave? One second, she was trying so hard to strike up a conversation with this cute silver haired teen, and the next Roxas shows up and she was as daring and courageous as a shark feeder. Roxas… it was Roxas! He always seemed to bring out the feisty side of her personality, the one that didn't back down from a challenge. Maybe it was his influence that caused her to act this way…

"Miss? What's wrong?" Riku asked sincerely, pulling her away from an expertly twirling older couple. Namine shrugged.

"Just thinking to myself," she answered shyly, Pulling her head down and staring at a button on his tux. Riku was at least two feet taller than her.

"What about, Miss?" Riku pushed. He wanted to convince her to return to Roxas; it was obvious that that was where she belonged.

"Just my feelings. It's nothing to worry over," Namine mumbled. _right on the money. This is a perfect chance. _Riku thought to himself, smiling.

Feelings about the young master, no?" he whispered into her hear. Namine shivered, pulling back to stare at his face incredulously.

"Why do you have to call him young master?" she asked. Riku smirked; he never mentioned his name.

"Because he is young, and he is a master of the house."

"But that doesn't make sense. He's eighteen. That's too young?"

"It is, Miss. One must graduate college in this household to inherit any portion of the industry."

"Like Ven?"

"Yes, Master Ventus is already working."

"Why are you talking all formally?"

Riku was silent. Speaking in high aristocratic form was a habit he acquired from attending so many parties. It was bad enough Sora chastised and teased him for it, but now Namine?

"Sorry. You get used to it after a while," he mumbled, slumping forward slightly. Namine released a small smile.

"So what part of industry is Ven inheriting?"

"I don't know. That information hasn't been released yet. Ven will announce it tomorrow."

"Oh."

"You've been avoiding the main question."

Namine pursed her lips. She didn't want to tell Riku that she was secretly thinking about Roxas; that would be weird and uncomfortable! She blushed furiously, trying and failing to conjure up a decent excuse. Would she tell him the truth?

"It's Master Roxas, huh?" Riku smirked, noting the blush in Namine's cheeks worsening as she ducked her face away from his sight. "So I was right."

"It's nothing, really! It wasn't feelings like _that_." she replied, flustered. Her face reddened even more as she struggled to control her blush. Riku was right, though. She was thinking about Roxas, and much to much. Was it that obvious?

"Oh, but I think you're just lying to yourself, Namine. Denial is common among those in love." Riku chastised, chuckling as Namine stumbled slightly at the L word. She looked up, bright as a cherry, completely appalled.

"I am not in love with that scum bag!" she defended childishly, her lower lip jutting out. "And I am not in denial!"

"The first stage of denial is denying that you are indeed in denial," Riku commented smartly, confusing the already frustrated blonde. She shook her head, glaring.

"Stop saying freaky things! You're confusing me!" she gushed, exasperated. Riku smiled. _just a little more._

"Namine, when you see Roxas, what do you think?" he asked, putting just the right amount of curiosity into his eyes for a persuasive effect. Namine blinked by the sudden question, shrugging.

"Well, I see him as a cocky, stuck up know-it-all. He knows just what to say to get under my skin, stole my first kiss, and bullies me nonstop. He's shy, and lonely from a distance, but as you get closer, he's really inconsiderate and could care less about others.

"But then that time I found Xion…he seemed really worried. And then he looked genuinely happy to see her safe…I guess it made me a little happy to see _some_ compassion in his cold heart. The next day he asked me to the dance in a not so flattering way, but it was charming. The rose was just…I don't know. I couldn't say no. but then when he came to pick me up, he was all cocky again…and then he just kissed me. Out of no where. I won't deny that I liked it, but still! My first kiss!" Riku smiled. She really had no idea what she was saying anymore; she was just letting off steam. "Then the car ride, he looked so…distant. Worried. And then we got here, and I liked the house a lot, and he was so relieved. It was so weird. But after I got changed and ready, he was worried again. Around then he looked…scared. Scared for me. And when we walked down those stairs, I understood; his mother wouldn't accept me. But why did it matter if she accepted a poor citizen like me? It's not like I'm dating her son. I'm just here as a one time thing." Namine frowned. She didn't like the sound of that.

"When he protected me, I felt so happy. It was the first time in a long time that anyone's done something like that. You know, I always feel so safe around him. As much as I hate him, I can trust him with my life; I just know I can. He's sweet, caring, kind, and sometimes he just reminds me of a giant fluffy teddy bear, and I just want to hug him." she continued to rant, her expression becoming softer the longer she went.

"Ok, I'll stop you there. Namine, think about what you just gushed to me about, and think hard." Riku interrupted. Namine pursed her lips, recalling. As the words crashed down on her like a tidal wave, she blushed, looking up at Riku carefully. He pulled her away from another dancing couple as they flew by.

"Well? Would you call that love? You describe him as a cocky know-it-all, inconsiderate, shy, lonely, protective-my favorite, a _teddy bear_, sweet, caring, and kind. This is just me, but I think your head over heels for this guy." he smirked as she turned tomato red. Beyond embarrassed, Namine pushed herself away from Riku, pulling him back to a table away from the dancers.

"B-but...I-" she began, but Riku put a finger to her lips.

"It's not me you should be dancing with, Namine. You know who you really want to be with." he said reassuringly. He bent over, placed a sweet kiss gingerly on her hand, and walked away, leaving the gaping Namine dumbfounded.

She had sincerely thought that Riku was a very cute boy who had taken a liking to her. She honestly concluded that they could have become closer. But she never expected him to drag out her inner ugliness and vent her feelings about a specific spiky haired blonde. She never expected him to want her to return to said blonde, who was probably furious. She groaned out loud, falling into a chair and burying her face in her hands. She sat there for a long time, mentally banging her head against a wall, waiting for the night to end so she could go home.

"Hey," she heard Roxas whisper softly into her ear. She didn't move, just listened to the sounds of the chair beside hers scrape along the floor. Roxas sighed.

"I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have snapped like that," he said sincerely. Namine peeked an eye out over her arm, squeaking at his proximity. He was resting his head on his arms in the same way, but with his chin up and very, very close to her face. She blushed, burrowing again.

"You're forgiven." she mumbled. Unknown to her, Roxas scooted closer.

"Can you tell it to my face?" he asked sarcastically. She sighed, pulling her head up.

Only to be captured by his lips again. This kiss was softer, gentler, as if testing cold waters. Namine froze again, but soon melted into his soft touch, kissing him back. He pulled away first, all too soon, with that cautious look on his face. Namine slowly opened her eyes, her lips tingling.

Roxas braced himself for the slap, but it never came.

"Now, you're definitely not forgiven," she mumbled, pouting. A furious blush still stained her cheeks, but all thoughts of Riku had faded. Roxas smiled, relieved and thankful for this answer instead of one that caused him physical pain.

"But you enjoyed it," he pushed, sitting back in his chair.

"Did not."

"You so did."

"No I didn't!"

"It's written all over your face, Namine."

"You wish it was…"

"It is."

"Not."

"Whatever you say, princess."

Namine pursed her lips. This childish banter would lead to nowhere.

"Why did you come back to get me, Roxas?" she asked quietly. Roxas' smirk faded and he looked distantly into the crowd.

"Because," he answered simply. Namine frowned, poking his arm.

"That's not an answer," she pointed out. Roxas sighed.

"I had a talk with Ven. He said…that you were the first person I've ever opened up to that isn't family. He said…that you…were important to me." he mumbled, blushing slightly. Namine sat back, a bit shocked.

"Ven said that…or you did?" she murmured. He shrugged, standing up and holding a hand out for her to take. He smiled, reaching for her.

"_I _say it. Namine Saito, I might just like you as more than a weird frozen-yogurt-counter-girl friend. Now I believe you owe me a dance?"

* * *

**LOL, did anyone notice that Riku was kind of acting like a gay best friend? X3**

**song used_: Louder than Thunder, _The Devil Wears Prada**

**(I really like this song and this chapter. and although the song is kind of emo, just don't think of it that way. focus on the lyrics at the top of the page. :3)**


	9. I'm a Pirate, You're a Princess

**I am a _pirate_**

**you are a _princess_**

**we can sail the seven seas**

**bring back some presents for all the people**

**everyone would love us, even Coutney would **

**_l o v e_ us.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Unlike the awkward swaying she had done with Riku, she was twirling expertly through the crowds like a ballerina being led by Roxas. She felt light on her feet; skipping across the floor, gliding gracefully past envious watchers. It was as if she was dancing on a cloud in a dream.

All the while, Roxas was smiling warmly, his deep ocean eyes sparkling mischievously. He twirled her around in a big circle; forming a small clearing so Namine wouldn't feel crowded and worrisome.

"So. Is the party what you thought?" he asked her. He slowed his pace. Namine shrugged.

"It's bigger than what I thought. I was expecting a smaller ballroom and less people," she said quietly. Roxas grinned.

"What's more space and more people to fill it? Doesn't make a difference," He smiled slyly, "Besides, I'm a Shinra. Expect nothing less."

"Well, when you asked me to come - not so curtly, by the way - you never mentioned 'Shinra'. in fact, you said your last name was _Shinozaki_," she removed her hand from his shoulder momentarily to poke his chest, pouting. Roxas gave her a sheepish smile.

"Well, I knew for a fact that if I told your dad I was an heir, he wouldn't have hesitated to let you go. In fact, I'm certain he would have _forced _you to come. I wanted to be treated like a normal guy. Besides, your dad scares me, and I choked," he admitted. Namine snorted; that giant teddy bear that was her father scared Roxas? Mr. Saito couldn't hurt a fly even if his life depended on it.

But then again, put Namine's safety on the line…

She giggled to herself at the thought. "He wouldn't hurt you. More than less, I think he was impressed by all your fancy talk. Of course, before you came to kidnap me, my dad told me to stay away from other people and follow you around."

"Kidnap?" Roxas questioned, raising an eyebrow and snickering.

"Well, it was close to a kidnapping. You just gave me a rose, with nothing but a somewhat stalker-ish note attached, and expected me to come," Namine scoffed.

"What did you think I was going to do? Rape you? Sheesh. Do I look like a sexual predator?" he joked, dipping her as she blushed a deep crimson. Namine gasped, turning her face away as Roxas held her steady. "Well?"

"N-no, I didn't think that," she mumbled. Satisfied, Roxas pulled her back up and they began to twirl again.

"Well then, princess, what do you think of me?" he asked. Namine stared long into his face, squinting. She hated that nickname, but it reminded her of one of her favorite songs…

"A pirate. You remind me of a pirate," she concluded triumphantly. Roxas laughed.

"So I'm the evil pirate who kidnapped the princess?" he gave her a playful look, mocking her. She blushed.

"Yes, you are the evil pirate," she mumbled.

"Aw, is the princess sad?" he said in a taunting tone, pouting cutely. Namine stuck her tongue out.

"No, and stop calling me a princess, you pirate!" she teased back. He chuckled.

"Alright, alright. I'll play this charade. So here's the script, ok? You're the emperor's daughter, and I _kidnapped_ you because I wanted ransom money," he gave a mock look of surprise, which caused a giggle to escape Namine's lips. "But of course, the emperor, Mr. Saito, wanted you back so bad, he sent evil vampire ninjas to attack us."

"Vampire ninjas?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He grinned, twirling her out and pulling her back close.

"Yes, vampire ninjas. And the leader, My mom, wanted nothing more but to get you away from me," he continued. Namine slowly started liking the story; it was pretty fascinating, especially when the pictures would blossom so vividly in her mind.

"I battled the ninjas gracefully with my crew, Sora, Kairi, Ven, Shizuka, and of course, Xion and Dad, until one day," he paused, watching for Namine's reaction. She looked up, expectant.

"Until what?"

"Until they captured you again!" he said excitedly, pushing her backwards. She let out a shriek as she stumbled, but a firm grasp kept her from falling. "But of course, we got you back." Roxas continued, smirking at Namine's savior. She looked up, grinning at Sora.

"Can I ask why you just threw Namine at me?" he asked, laughing. Kairi skipped up from behind, pulling her mask off.

"Sora, you ruined their cutesy moment! I was hoping for a romantic dance, then a passionate kiss; maybe a moonlit walk in the garden-"

"Kairi, you're being girly again," Roxas chirped. Kairi threw her mask, pouting playfully.

"Come on, finish!" Namine begged childishly. She was so absorbed in the story; Roxas was an expert storyteller, able to use all the right emotions at all the right times, dropping cliffhangers just when she was eager for more. Sora and Kairi gave each other a look, before throwing Namine back. Roxas caught her with ease, laughing.

"After we saved you from the vampires," Roxas received scoffs and raised eyebrows from their two new companions, but he ignored them. "Scarlet went back to scheme. She regrouped her ninja allies, and attacked again; this time, instead of being captured, you went out to sea, alone, on a single raft."

"Wait, what's going on?" Sora butted in. Namine turned a mock glare in his direction.

"Well, I asked Namine what she thought of me, and she called me a pirate," Roxas replied bluntly, pulling Namine close and twirling away. Sora and Kairi followed suit, both giving an 'ah'.

"Anyway, you floated away, rowing as fast as you could, because you finally got away from the pirate and the evil vampire ninja," he paused, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. "But secretly, you worried about the pirate; was he ok? Did he survive? But you kept rowing, further and further away, until you finally got back home to your father."

"What happens next?"

"You live life like you did before I kidnapped you; you perform your princess duties. You don't know what happened to the pirate or his crew. Maybe they're dead. Maybe they're searching for you. But you don't know. And everyday, you wonder; what would it have been like if you stayed?"

"But then one day, one _fine, sunny day, _I came back," he murmured, dipping her again. She gasped.

"And you were so happy. I told you that I defeated the ninja vampire that is my mother, and gained her alliance. And then, right before your father and all of your nation, I dropped down on one knee," as if emphasizing his point, he did so in reality, holding the flustered Namine's hand lightly. Sora and Kairi giggled as they continued their dance, and couples began staring in disbelief.

"Don't you dare propose to me, you idiot!" Namine mumbled furiously, blushing. Roxas chuckled.

"Please! The pirate didn't propose, he was tying his shoe!" he joked. Namine rolled her eyes and pulled on his hand to get him to stand again. He laughed, pulling her into an unexpected hug. The couples around would have thought she said yes to the proposal.

"After he was done with his stupid shoelace, he whispered four words into her ear," he murmured quietly. Namine tried to wiggle out of his grasp to see his face, but she was trapped.

"What were they?" she whispered quietly.

"I love you, princess."

Namine stared, stunned into silence. Did he…? _Yes, he did_. What she thought was reserved for the story came out so passionate it had to be true; he was talking to her, Namine, not the princess of the story. Her heart started pounding erratically in her chest, a blush creeping along onto her face. Roxas turned away, embarrassed, as they continued spinning. _What just happened? _Namine questioned to herself, secretly filled with an undeniable feeling of joy. She eyed Kairi, who gave her a thumbs up, before dissolving into the dancing crowd.

"But…how?" she breathed out. Roxas finally turned back around to face her, embarrassed, his bangs falling into his face.

"You really don't notice anything, do you?" he chuckled, stopping their mystical dance and pulling her away from the dance floor. He clutched her hand lightly, pulling her along quickly through the dancing couples, laughing, turning back at her just to tell her to hurry. She frowned, stumbling as she ran, her heels catching onto her dress and simply not helping the cause.

"Roxas, slow down!" she called, breathing heavily. He let out a boyish chuckle, gripping her hand tighter as he pushed through protesting crowds.

She felt like a young child; racing through crowded streets away from her parents. She had visited her cousin once - Zell, who lived in Destiny Islands - and he had shown her how to run through sandy beaches, weaving between bikini clad tourists, food vendors, and unsuspecting pointy things that lined the sand. She recalled that moment, as her excited cousin snatched her hand and suddenly started sprinting, and smiled. This was no different.

She still silently thanked the gods when Roxas started to slow down to a walk, pulling her hand away from the party and towards a small backdoor that looked like it was reserved for servants. He looked left and right, and when he was sure no one was around, he pulled Naminé out the door.

She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The clouds had swarmed around the moon, covering the only source of light. Roxas guided her slowly through whatever obstacles were in her path, and she sat down near what sounded like a small waterfall.

"Well, Kairi had a checklist, didn't she? Romantic dance, check, kiss, check, and well…" Roxas broke off, lifting his gaze to the sky, willing the clouds to part. Namine's eyes had begun to adjust; she was in some sort of garden, sitting on a fountain. Her obstacles were blushes, trees, and chipped cement.

"The kiss wasn't romantic," she mumbled under her breath. Roxas caught it, however, and smiled.

"Well, princess, allow me to release the inner Roxas," he said dramatically, rising from the fountain and performing a curt bow before ripping his mask off and tossing it into the water. Namine giggled, rolling her eyes.

"And you're trying to tell me he wasn't with me this whole time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow even if he couldn't see it. He grinned.

"You thought it was the inner me. But no, you're wrong," he said, rising from the bow and turning his back. His grin faded with the clouds.

Namine stared curiously at the now illuminated Roxas. The full moon was brightly shining, and the willowy shadows of the garden were brought into the light, revealing cutely designed bushes, perfectly trimmed trees, and a cobblestone walkway leading here, to the fountain. It was exactly like a fairytale - but for her likings, there needed to be a coy pond with a small wooden bridge crossing over.

She faced her attention to the boy in front of her, wondering why he turned around. He was staring up at the moon, expressionless, deep in thought.

"Roxas…?" she called lightly, shifting as she started to get up. He shook his head.

"You really didn't notice?" he asked her quietly. She cocked her head, confused. Roxas sighed.

"Namine…you know we both take the same train to school every morning? And the same train back to market street? Did you know we both have P.E at the same time? lunch too?" he asked, looking curiously over his shoulder. Namine froze, thinking.

She took the six a.m. train to market street then transferred to the six fifteen to Sunset Hill. From there, she would take five minute walk up to her school; which was conveniently placed a fields distance away from the Academy. Her lunch was at noon exact, her P.E class from one thirty to two thirty. How? She was sure the Academy started an hour after her public school, and then ended an hour after. Besides, the two schools agreed to have no outdoor activities at the same time for fear of fan girls.

"No…impossible. Your school start later than mine," Namine started, now seeing Roxas as a crazed stalker. He laughed.

"You can stop giving me that look, you know. I have to come to school early to have private lessons with my kendo teacher. As for after, I have a free period, so I just leave," he explained, receiving a small sigh of relief from Namine, who relaxed slightly.

"But we can't have the same lunch or P.E. The board said you had separate times for everything because of the girls at my school," she frowned. Roxas finally turned around, smiling softly at her a he bowed down to her level.

"That's true, except for one class. You can't expect us to avoid your school forever," he said with a small chuckle. Namine's frown worsened.

"So your saying the one P. E class our schools have at the same time…both of us are in it? Lunch too?" she asked skeptically. Roxas nodded.

"It's funny from our side, watching you guys try and play sports. We like to watch you guys fail while we run," he commented, earning a small punch to the shoulder. He finally gave in, coming to sit besides her.

"Seriously though. You have seen me," he said, giving her a reprimanding look, "During lunch one time, the lunch lady let me open the window. Our lunches never really needed to be at separate times, we just eat indoors. Anyway, the lunch lady let me open the window, and I looked out. What do you think I saw?" he asked, entering story teller mode again.

"What?" Namine breathed.

"I saw a pretty blonde girl hiding from the other kids behind a cherry blossom tree. She was facing me and breathing heavily, holding a brown paper bag for dear life. Even from far away, I could tell she was crying," he whispered, leaning his head on top of hers comfortably. As if on instinct, Namine leaned her onto his shoulder.

"Then what?" she asked quietly. He smiled.

"The girl looked up, and we locked eyes. From far away, I could see that blue, bright and very, very pretty. But the longer I stared, the more the world around me dissolved. So basically…" he broke off, hoping Namine would catch on. She gasped; signaling she did.

"Love at first sight." she concluded, reality beginning to crash down on her.

A couple months ago, she was running from her lifelong enemy Mizuki Kiryu, and she hid behind the large Sakura tree by the fence. She had looked out towards the Academy, her eyes drawn to the first open window she had ever seen at the grand school, and her frightened icy blue eyes had locked with curious sapphire ones. She had stared; everything behind her vanished in an instant, and the only things she could see were the unloving fence barrier, and the bright blue eyes on the other side.

She blushed at the memory. She knew she'd be a long shot away from actually meeting the owner of those sapphire eyes, but here she was, at his family party, with her head resting on his shoulder.

"You know, that's the day I started noticing you on the trains." he whispered, lifting his head and turning her head to face him. His eyes were searching for some kind of answer.

"How did you know it was me?" she breathed, blushing.

"Because it's like what you said," he whispered, leaning forward. For once, Namine leant in too. "Love at first sight."

This kiss had won the title of romantic kiss of the evening, only because Namine did not resist for once. Instead, she leaned in, closing her eyes, feeling his soft touch. Roxas smiled against her lips; it was about time she finally succumbed.

When they pulled apart, Roxas pulled Namine into is chest, hugging her like a toy while she tried to figure out her thoughts.

"Am I still a creepy stalker pirate?" he asked.

"No, you're just a pirate. A nice, caring pirate."

~*~*~*~*~*~(yucky)~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_Close by, in a tree…_

"See, I told you they'd work out," Kairi whispered triumphantly, bringing the binoculars away from her eyes and turning her gaze to the struggling Sora, who still couldn't fling himself over the branch. She rolled her eyes.

"Kairi, since when have you been able to climb trees to expertly in a dress?" he wheezed, finally pulling himself onto the tree branch to take a breather. He still had a long way to go before he caught up with Kairi.

"Since I grew up with two older brothers who wouldn't drop the ladder to their tree house," she answered simply, holding a hand out. Sora took it gratefully, hoisting himself up. "Look."

Sora took the binoculars from Kairi's hand and peered through the leaves at the unsuspecting couple. They seemed to be bickering about something embarrassing, but Roxas held Namine to his chest comfortably, and they were smiling. He grinned.

"Looks like emo boy finally came out of the closet," he chuckled, and Kairi joined in.

"He doesn't have to be alone anymore. See, Sora? If you'd only told me about Roxas' deprived love life sooner, I would have been able to set those two up ages ago, and we wouldn't be burdened with the emotional baggage that is a PMSing Roxas."

"Sorry! Besides, I think destiny had something to do with this, too," he smiled softly, taking her hand. "Like with us!"

"Aw, Sora, you're so cute!" Kairi cooed. "Now, lets get down from here before I get attacked by owls."

Sora nodded, flinging himself off the branch and hanging from it. Unfortunately, the force of Sora's jump and the weight from Kairi were too much for the branch, and it snapped, sending both to the ground. Roxas and Namine turned around, alarmed, jumping apart. Roxas narrowed his eyes at the couple, who were trying to untangle themselves from the leaves on the tree.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, his stare traveling to the binoculars around Kairi's neck. He frowned. "Kairi, you were spying, weren't you?"

Namine squeaked in embarrassment behind him, and Sora chuckled awkwardly. "Um...no, Psh. No, why would we spy on you, oh lovely twin brother of mine?"

Kairi groaned. They were doomed.

"Oh lovely twin brother of mine, You'll pay later."

* * *

**My. Fav. Chap. So. Far. 3**

**thus concludes the party! We're almost done here! :O **

**song used: _I'm a pirate, You're a princess_, PlayRadioPlay!**


	10. Dear Namine, Sincerely Me

**Dear Jamie, I've got a letter I would like to send**

**It's slacking strings of words with punctuation at the ends**

**should I trust this dialect**

**to convey the right **

**e f f e c t?**

Chapter 10

Weeks had passed. That night was unforgettable, a memory she would hold forever in her heart, something she would turn to in hard times. She continued her life like nothing happened; and so did he.

Only because Scarlet Shinra had captured them before Roxas could safely return her home. She had said that he would not be allowed to see her, and she had even went as far as threatening his inheritance. Roxas couldn't argue; and neither could Namine. The blonde duo had bowed in respect to the vicious woman, climbing into the Mercedes as it drove away. They shared one last kiss in the car, then went their separate ways.

Namine returned to work heartbroken and crushed internally, and indifferent externally. Demyx quizzed her nonstop like an over excited best friend, but she just smiled and shook her head. She didn't want to hear about it. If anything, she wanted to _forget_ all about it.

After the first week, Demyx started understanding. He stopped bugging her, and returned to his sanctuary. Namine was glad; he left her alone with her thoughts. Roxas's friends never entered the store again. They never even came by this way. Kairi, Sora, Olette, Hayner, no one. Not even Ventus, who was free to do as he pleased without the risk of losing inheritance. Scarlet was _very _strict, and she wanted everyone with ties to her family to erase her from their memory. Like she was a ghost; she appeared before everyone with so much elegance, only to disappear from the face of the earth.

When school started, she didn't bother to look for him on the train. She took her usual spot by large sliding doors, staring lifelessly out into the sunrise. At Market Street, she would trade trams, entering wordlessly and squishing herself against all the other students, avoiding eye contact as they gushed to each other about how wonderful their vacation was.

"What about you, Namine? What did you do during vacation?" a kind girl asked. Namine lifted her head and gave a fake smile.

"I just worked," she lied flawlessly, turning back to stare at her feet. No one talked to her after.

She wouldn't _walk_ up Sunset Hill anymore. She had to run. Because as the doors to the tram opened, she finally noticed a few of the Academy children who came early for extracurricular activities, dressed in black button up jackets and black slacks or skirts. She squeaked, lowering her head as she noticed familiar wine red hair, and sprinted away, towards her own boring school, following the flow if teenagers dressed in white blouses with blue checkered skirts or dark blue slacks. Unfortunately, she ran straight into Mizuki, who sneered at her.

"Oh, if it isn't _nameless-nobody-Namine_. I bet you did nothing but work for Winter vacation," she cackled evilly, her posse of minions barking insults behind her.

_No, _Namine thought sadly to herself. _I had a magical vacation with Roxas Shinra. _Instead of voicing her thoughts, she simply nodded, brushing imaginary dust off of her own pleated skirt.

"Figures. You're such a loser," Mizuki snarled, slapped Namine's books onto the ground. Namine sighed; this always happened, every single day.

She bent down, slowly gathering, ignoring the nasty giggles that passed her. Why was she subject to such torture? She was a hard working, beautiful, and kind. Why did they choose her to make fun of?

She stiffened when someone from the Academy bent down to help her. Refusing to glance up into his eyes, her hands moved faster; snatching book after book until she was standing ramrod straight, head down, arm out for the books this person picked up. He put them in her palm wordlessly, but grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

For the third time that day, she squeaked. But surprisingly, when she finally looked up into her companion's eyes, she frowned.

"Ven?" she whispered. Ventus gave a small chuckle and nodded, adjusting his glasses.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in college?" she hissed, noticing the awkward stares being received from her classmates. The throng of girls had stopped laughing; and from afar, she could see Mizuki boiling in anger.

"Well, yeah, but I needed to come talk to you. Roxas told me to give you this," he whispered back in a rush, glancing around for any signs of his younger brother.

"You came to me dressed in the Academy uniform to give me a rose?" Namine questioned incredulously as Ven hastily shoved the flower into her hand.

"I know, surprising I can still fit it. Anyway, read the letter. You'll understand."

With that, Ventus Shinra, college graduate, slithered away, blending with the Academy children as he traveled back to the train. Namine stared after him, completely confused.

She examined the rose, finding the exquisite note attached to it like the first time when Roxas asked her out. She didn't want to open it; not here, anyway, where a thousand people seemed to be staring at her, and a couple were even glancing over her shoulder. She huffed, placing the flower gently into her bag, before continuing her journey forward.

"Excuse me? Loser? What could Roxas Shinra want with you?" Mizuki barked as Namine passed. She hesitated slightly, turning around to give Mizuki a forced smile.

"Nothing. He just helped me pick up my books," she answered sweetly. Mizuki didn't buy it. She eyes the stem of the rose that poked out of her book bag.

"Then why did he give you a rose? Explain that." Mizuki demanded, crossing her arms. Her followers mimicked her.

Namine bit her lip. There was no way she was going to reveal her perfect night so many weeks ago, especially when life finally started to return to normal. She couldn't tell her lifelong nemesis, Mizuki, know that she, Nameless-Nobody-Namine, had gone on a date with her lifelong crush.

So she told the truth, "That wasn't Roxas, it was his brother Ventus," then a lie. "I met him when I went to Shizuka Ichikawa's art exhibit."

"Shizu-Ichi-who?" Mizuki chorused, squinting in disgust. Namine smiled internally; they had believed the lie.

"Shizuka Ichikawa. She's a role model of mine, and Ventus's fiancé." she clarified confidently. Mizuki gave her a look over.

"If he's engaged, why is he giving you flowers?" she snarled, smirking. Namine thought quickly on her feet.

"I showed Shizuka some of my art projects. She liked them, and asked me if I wanted some of them displayed. The flowers aren't really from Ven, they're from Shizu," she brushed her hair behind her ear casually, flashing her own triumphant smirk. "She's a new friend of mine."

Finding no counter argument, Mizuki and her lapdogs turned on their stick heels and stormed off, making sure to plow through anyone who got in her way. Namine released the largest sigh of her life. She had just gotten away with lying, a feat she had never accomplished before.

Smiling softly to herself, Namine rushed into her school just as the gates opened. She ran for her locker, shoving books galore inside, and gently pulled the rose out, looking both ways down the hallway. When she was satisfied that no one was spying on her, she slowly opened the note, her fingers tingling in anticipation.

The message was there, written in -Surprisingly- Kairi's curly cursive, with a demanding tone.

_I have unfinished business with you, missy._

_Meet me at your yogurt shop after school; find Sora on the tram._

_Kairi._

_Ps, the rose is from Roxas with love._

She read it, reread it, and reread it again and again. What was Kairi plotting? Did she realize that meeting her would risk Roxas' inheritance? The note sounded urgent.

The rose on the other hand, was beautiful, as expected from Roxas. The thorns were cut, the petals glistening, and the flower in full bloom. She smiled, twirling it in her fingers before shoving it lightly back into her locker. She took the note and pocketed it, closing her locker.

"What do we have here?"

She sighed. Why was she such a popular target here at Sunset High?

"Hello, Seifer," she mumbled politely, trying to push past the towering blonde and failing.

"Hold on there, cutie. I saw you at your locker. Who gave you the note?" the bully asked, inching his hand closer to Namine's breast pocket. She shimmied away, disgusted, moving her hand to her chest to protect it.

"No one," she hissed, shoving Seifer to the side and continuing on her way. Unfortunately, Seifer locked an iron grip on her fragile arm, and she shrieked in pain, the note flying out of her pocket. One of Seifer's lackeys, Fuu, bent down to pick it up.

"Love!" she declared, reading it. Fuu was never able to say more than one or two words at a time, because of some disease or something. Namine tried to snatch it back, but the purple haired girl had already handed It off to the quarterback of the football team, Rai. Rai was about four feet taller than her, so any effort to jump and reach her note was useless.

"From the Academy, ya' know?" he sneered, passing the note to Seifer.

"Aw, looks like our little nobody has a boyfriend!" Seifer shouted. By this time, a crowd had accumulated, and many were chuckling at Namine's helpless attempts to retrieve her letter. "With love, Ro-"

No one saw it coming. Not even Seifer, who was inches away from her. Namine had lunged, boiling in anger, tackling Seifer to the ground and slapping him senseless. Rai and Fuu stood back, astonished, and the crowd let out gasps of shock as Namine continued to attack Seifer. She snatched the note from his hand, stood up and kicked him in a very tender area, and brandished the note like a weapon to the crowd, fuming.

Another first for her; Namine had finally snapped back.

Looking like an angry kitten with _very_ sharp claws, she glared at everyone around her. "Do you see this note? This note is _mine_, and it's very important to me. Try to pry into my business and you'll end up like him," she spat, stabbing a finger at Seifer. The members of the crowd - who hadn't run away - nodded their heads in fear. Namine put the note back into her pocket, dusted off her skirt, and stood up tall, sending one last glare to Seifer before storming off to class.

By lunch time, Namine already had admirers from the beat down with Seifer. Some boys approached her at her lonely table, trying to get to know her, but she ignored them; they only noticed her now because she finally stood up for herself. Even a couple girls tried to befriend her, commenting on her eyes, or how she styled her hair. Namine hated it; attention wasn't something she had ever wanted, even before she got in that car accident with her mother.

Feeling claustrophobic and annoyed, she left the cafeteria to venture outside on the field. She wandered through the football players, past the ultimate Frisbee lovers, and finally, she found her cherry tree, the same tree where she had seen Roxas for the first time. She sat behind it like so long ago, and stared past the chain link fence into the same window across the way. It was closed now; but she imagined the blonde spikes poking out, mischievous blue eyes staring back at her. She sighed and closed her eyes; how badly did she want to escape?

School past at an agonizingly slow pace, and by the time Namine was on the tram to work, she was worn out and exhausted. The note lay crumpled in her pocket, the creases prominent from her opening and reopening it. She reminded herself to look for Sora, but she just couldn't spot the spiky disarray of chocolate hair. Seriously, how hard could it be, trying to find someone who stuck out like a sore thumb? It would have been easier finding a needle in the crowded tram.

She started rubbing her ear as a strange hissing sound echoed behind her. Was the train malfunctioning? They would have stopped if that was so. Shrugging, she continued playing I-spy through the crowds, trying to find Sora.

The hissing sound became louder. What was it? Was it another passenger? A child in a stroller, maybe? A video game? She narrowed her eyes, trying to find the source.

"For god's sake, Namine, psssst!"

She turned around, stunned, just to run into a homeless man wearing a tan over coat and a ripped detective's hat. His hair and beard were stained a solid grey, but his eyes were a very familiar shade of bright, ocean blue…

"Sora?" she whispered, astonished. The old man grinned, taking her hand.

"Yeah, it's me. Here's the next set of instructions," he whispered quietly, his eyes probing the train like he was waiting for the police to jump him. He wormed a piece of paper into her hand, curling her fist.

"Kairi's waiting at her house. She's already explained the situation to her parents, and your dad's waiting there. Those instructions will get you where you want to go; but be careful. Mom's still paranoid about you and Roxas, so some people have been trailing you for a while. Don't look over you shoulder, and they won't suspect you," he whispered urgently, before pulling away and fiddling with his disguise. "Thank you, dear, you're very kind," he said in a much louder and huskier tone, winking and wobbling off.

Namine was now thoroughly confused. Instructions? Ven, Sora, and Kairi trying to get her to Kairi's house? Her father being involved? What was going on? And what about Scarlet? People following her? Why?

Cautiously, she turned her gaze to examine the faces of those around her, trying not to act suspicious. No one popped in her eyes, and everyone around seemed to be minding their own business. Slightly creeped, Namine was beyond thankful when the doors opened to show her way out.

She half ran to work, a note of paranoia settling in her stomach. Were people really following her? Checking to make sure that I was staying as far away from Roxas as possible? Her suspicions couldn't be confirmed. Every time she sneakily glanced over her shoulder, no one was behind her. But she could _sense_ it; the probing eyes of someone she hoped she never met, the scuffle of shoes hitting sidewalk. Her breathing hitched into her throat.

Breaking into a full blown run, she sprinted into Sakuranbo Froyo, allowing the door to fling back behind her. Staring wide eyed out through the tinted windows, she saw no one; no one was behind her, no one was following her. Her eyes darted to a family of three walking happily - completely safe - towards the park. She was fine. There was no reason to be scared, no reason to panic.

She dragged her feet around the counter and slid down, trying to calm her beating heart and the shivers that rippled through her body. She shook quietly, pulling at her hair and smoothening her skirt, taking deep breaths until she was finally calm. She pulled her usual apron over her head and slapped her hat on.

She squeaked when she finally popped her head up over the counter. Staring straight into her eyes was none other than the brunette she had only met once, Olette. She grinned.

"Demyx wants us in his office, Namine," she greeted, snatching her wrist and pulling her around the desk. Namine had all but three seconds to comprehend until she was thrust into her boss's office.

She liked to steer clear of this room if it was possible. Demyx was a collector of string instruments. The walls of his tiny 'office' were covered in guitars, violins, cellos, and of course, his favorite, a sitar. Instead of a desk, a small table sat in the center, covered in papers and surrounded by small cushions for seating. Demyx himself was sitting at the far side, holding a cup of tea in his hands and grinning.

"Hey, Nami. Olette told me everything. Open the note!" he whispered shouted, winking. Namine stared, astonished.

She obliged, retrieving the wrinkled note from her pocket. Slowly, creasing out the edges as she went, she unfolded it.

_In Demyx's office, I've left a uniform from the Academy. It should fit you. There's a wig included; make sure you're a total brunette._

_Change clothes with Olette, and follow the directions written on the back to my place._

_Roxas, Sora, Ven, and I are waiting. :)_

She turned the note over, and sure enough, a crudely drawn map leading up to the more prestigious, richer homes. She read the note again. And again, and again. Switch clothing with Olette? Wig?

It was then that she got a good glimpse of the brunette girl standing next to her. To her surprise, Olette was already wearing a stained froyo apron over jeans and a red t-shirt; perfectly casual clothing. She had a blonde wig in her hands. Sitting on top of Demyx's cluttered table was a nicely folded Academy uniform with a brunette wig.

Exactly _what_ is Kairi planning?

* * *

***Beware of (kind) swearing in authors note ahead* WHAT NOW, ANONYMOUS REVIEWER? DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING, DID YA? OH WAIT, YOU WOULDN'T SEE IT ANYWAY, YOU DOUCHEBAG, BECAUSE YOU DITCHED THIS STORY AT CHAPTER 4, SAYING "you made them fall in love to fast, you're a badwriter" BAD WRITER MY ASS! **

***cough* ahem. as you can see, I have added a little twist. I wasn't gonna leave this story ending like that! that would have sucked. :)**

**song used: _Dear Jamie...Sincerely me_, Hellogoodbye**


	11. Love Story

**Sorry for the suckish ness of this chapter; My mom's taking her afternoon nap and my Dad is chill, (I love you father) so I stole my computer back. honestly, this chapter was written all at the top of my head, so it might be random, it might have mistakes, might whatever, but I just wanted to update. DX**

* * *

**Romeo save me they're tryin' to tell me **

**how to feel**

**this love is difficult**

**but is it _r e a l?_**

* * *

Decked out in a surprisingly comfortable Academy uniform, a brunette wig, and a guilty gut wrenching feeling, Namine sauntered out of the frozen yogurt store and wearily traveled down the sidewalk, casting her eyes behind every bush, tree, and park bench around just to be sure that no one was following her. When she was satisfied with her lack of stalking security, she peeked back just in time to see Olette - donned in the Sunset High uniform and a blonde wig, which made her look creepily similar to herself - walking at a slow pace in the opposite direction towards Namine's apartment. Sighing, she played with a strand of brunette hair that flew into her face and continued her journey to Kairi's manor.

She had not gone down without a fight, of course. Demyx had urged her to perform the clothing exchange immediately so she could finally be with 'the love of her life, the man she would marry'. Namine had vehemently refused, remembering Scarlet Shinra's threat, but Olette and Demyx wouldn't have it. Olette went as far as showing Namine pictures of how depressive Roxas was currently acting; sitting in his room with a look of utter repulsion as his food was delivered through a small slot beneath the door. Lying on his bed in complete boredom while staring off into outer space. Reading a book. Sitting against his door, pounding his fist on the hardwood. He didn't look to happy.

She caved when Olette had told her that Roxas was being placed under house arrest and was soon going to be shipped off to a boarding school called Castle Oblivion in Halloween Town. His mother was not taking any chances; Olette had recorded a live argument between the two with a camcorder. (She managed to produce all of this evidence by sneaking past the guards and climbing a tree)

The video had a steaming Scarlet standing by the door and a fuming Roxas pacing too and fro in front of his bed.

"_I gave you a warning! You will not see this girl!" Scarlet shouted._

"_And I gave you a reason! Namine is special to me!" Roxas shot back with equal amounts of venom._

"_There will be no more talk about it. You will pack your bags. In five days, Your father and I are shipping you off to Castle Oblivion. They can sort out all your measly infatuation issues with a paddle," she hissed. Roxas visually turned pale, even in the grainy image._

"_No, mom! I'm sick of you dictating my life! Disown me, cut my inheritance, whatever! I'm not taking any bullshit from you anymore! I'm not going to Halloween Town!" he barked in return._

_Scarlet looked livid. "You do not speak to your mother like that, young man. No further outbursts. I will expect an all boys boarding school to straighten you out. If only you listen like your brothers," she spat before striding out of the room. _

Namine shivered as she marched onwards, occasionally _c_hecking her map. She did not want to be the one on the other side of Scarlet's argument; but she had no choice. Namine needed to convince Scarlet that she was a worthy girlfriend or else Roxas would leave for the last years of his life; he only had three days left in Twilight Town.

Quickening her pace, Namine strode through the crowded streets with a stab of claustrophobia. She tried to ignore it, and surprisingly, the feeling faded and was replaced by determination. She smiled to herself, continually glancing back. Even though she spotted her followers chasing after the wrong girl, she still had the right to feel a tad bit suspicious.

Following the map, Namine managed to enter the rich, glossy homes of Twilight Town. Each mansion was bigger and better than the last; Namine had the impression of a never ending competition between the owners. She trotted up the hill, finally spotting Kairi's magenta mansion hiding behind a thicket of trees and bushes and blocked by a sturdy iron gate. Timidly, Namine approached the guard.

"Um…" she started dumbly. What was she supposed to say?

"State your business," the guard mumbled in a bored tone. Namine gulped.

"I-I'm here to see Kairi Mochizuki," she murmured quietly. The guard squinted suspiciously at her, sitting up in his chair.

"What did you say?" he asked roughly.

"I-I w-want to s-see Kairi Mochizuki," she squeaked in a much louder tone. The guard leaned back and observed a clip board hanging on the wall besides the small door.

"You're not on the list. Beat it, kid," he mumbled gruffly, glaring at Namine like she was a terrorist capable of mass murder. Namine frowned.

"But I got this note, and Kairi told me that my father was at her house, and that she wanted to see me, and that Roxas, Ven, and Sora are waiting, and-" she argued defiantly.

"Kid, you're not on the list. If you're not on the list, I can't let you in. now scram," the guard hissed. Namine huffed, stomping her foot.

"What was the whole point of her calling me here then, if she was just going to keep me out?" she mumbled furiously, turning on her heel and marching back down the hill.

"Wait, Namine!"

She turned, finding a grinning Kairi rocking on her heels as she waited for the gate to slide open. The guard looked flabbergasted, rushing to press the button to push the gate aside. Kairi wormed herself through the small opening and launched herself at the blonde.

"Oh, Nami, I missed you!" she squealed happily, squeezing Namine with as much power as she could possibly muster. Namine held her breath, gently tapping Kairi's back. She was relieved when she was released.

"Ugh, it's terrible, Nami! Scarlet has Roxas on house arrest, Sora's not allowed to see him, and Ven's been kicked out of the house because he stood up for Roxas and well…'accidentally' slapped Scar, Xion is crying a river, and Rufus can't do anything about it!" she gushed immediately, dragging the ruffled blonde back through the gate and up the driveway. Namine stumbled after her, trying to process her thoughts and figure out her steps at the same time.

"W-wait," she breathed, tripping on a crack in the pavement, "Why can't Mr. Shinra do anything?"

"Because Scarlet was the powerful figure in the relationship. She had more money when their marriage was arranged," she said, pulling her through the door. The interior décor was almost as grand as the Shinra mansion's; glittering tile floor, high domed ceiling, and classy portraits lining the walls. Kairi continued to drag Naminé through the hall, up the stairs, and down the hallway, turning into a large room that had drowned in a rainbow.

The bed was white, with a white veil shrouding it in the corner. Fluffy pink comforters hung neatly on top, along with purple pillows and a special one in the shape of a large yellow star. By her bed was a dark blue nightstand, littered with things like a retainer case, chap stick, wads of money, and a remote control. In the center of the room, resting on top of the cream colored carpet, was a colossal rug in the shape of a large lavender flower; it sprawled lazily across the floor from her bed to her closet. In another corner of the room was a white desk, holding a couple books and a night-time reading lamp, along with a case for reading glasses. The far wall was a giant bookcase; filled completely from floor to ceiling with books. Naminé stared in awe.

"Ha, ha. That. You know how little kids always want that new toy when it comes out? I always wanted that book," she explained, looking at her collection fondly. "I've only filled the bottom four rows, though."

"What are you talking about? The books go up to the ceiling!" Naminé protested, staring upwards. Kairi chuckled.

"They're pictures of books. I feel bad when the bookshelf is empty, so I filled them with pictures," she said, scraping the fifth row; the books drew inward, and the paper crinkled. Naminé stared in adoration.

"I am so jealous of you right now," she admitted playfully. Kairi rolled her eyes and closed the door, running to her bed and pulling a walkie-talkie out from a secret compartment in the nightstand.

"Sora?" she called, and a the static received on the other end cleared.

"Kai? Did she make it?" Sora asked, his voice contorted.

"Yeah. Get Roxas. Tell Rufus he's coming to my place. Rufus can convince Scar that I'm not planning anything," Kairi mused. With a final 'I love you' she stuffed the device under her pillow and raced to the door.

"VEN!" she whisper shouted, throwing a nearby shoe at the door across the hall. When she returned, Ven was hobbling after her.

"Naminé!" he called lightly, rushing over to the blonde and wrapping her in a hug. Naminé was taken back; she didn't know Ven liked her that much.

"Where's Sora?" he asked. Kairi waved him off, going to her desk and clearing it off, trying to tidy up her room.

"He should be here any minute now. I sent him on Naminé duty." she brushed her bangs away from her eyes, grinning. Ven nodded, positioning himself in front of the window and watching the front gate for any intrusions; they didn't want Shinra popping up at any moment.

"Is…is Roxas really coming?" Naminé heard herself asking. She bit her lip soon after; that was a question she'd rather have kept inside. It made her seem needy and desperate. Kairi, however, was unfazed; she actually seemed thrilled that she'd asked.

"If Sora does a good job, then yup. Oh! I forgot something…" the red head mumbled, rushing out the door.

Naminé stared awkwardly at Ven.

"How is he?" she asked quietly. Ven turned away from the window and smiled, his glasses glinting.

"He's pretty miserable. He wants to see you," he said. Naminé bit her lip.

"Hey, Nami? Can I ask you something?" Ven murmured seriously. He stepped towards the desk and put a hand on the back of the chair.

"Do you really _love_ Roxas?"

Naminé opened her mouth to let out the obvious yes, but nothing escaped her throat. Did she _love_ Roxas? She had only known him for a few hours, but he was everything a girl could dream about. Did that night create any remote feelings of love? She _liked _him, yes, but _love? _

Luckily, she was saved from answering Ven's question by her father, who hobbled into the room with a shaved face and a clean set of clothes. He looked nothing like Naminé expected; he looked just like he did before her mother died.

"You have such nice friends, Nam," he cooed, picking her up as she ran to embrace him.

"Daddy, you cleaned up!" she cried happily. Kairi wormed herself around them and sat on her bed.

"Well, Miss Mochizuki forced me to," he admitted. Kairi grinned.

Once they were informed that Sora would indeed be taking a while to arrive at the manor, they spread out. Ven stood in stony silence by the window; he looked troubled, lost in thought. Kairi and Naminé sat themselves down on the large purple rug and caught up with each other's daily lives. Mr. Saito sprawled himself across Kairi's bed bad was lost deep in the hypnotic power of Kairi's television. After about another forty-five minutes or so, the cold statue that was Ventus unthawed.

"Sora," he murmured. Kairi ran forward, nearly launching herself out. She pulled back in and glowered at the floor. Namine's eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Damn that Scarlet," Kairi muttered to herself. Naminé instantly understood.

"No Roxas?" she questioned, just to be sure. Kairi and Ven nodded. Mr. Saito wrapped a protective arm around his daughter's shoulder. He didn't really understand what was going on; he just knew that the boy his daughter held…_affections_ for was unable to see her. Now, Mr. Saito was a person who wanted to give his daughter any and everything she wanted because she asked for so little; if Naminé wanted to see this Roxas boy, (who held such a strong impression upon first meeting) then she would.

While her father was winding himself up with steely determination, Naminé let her mind wander. _Do you really love Roxas? _Did she? What kind of feelings did she have for the romantic, cocky, spiky haired blonde? How was love created? What did love feel like? Did it have a taste? A smell? A sound? Maybe it was judged by the beating of one's heart; whenever she was around Roxas, her heartbeat became erratic. But whenever she was around Mizuki and her gang of friends, she got the same reaction, out of fear and nervousness; were the feelings the same?

She took a peek at Ven; he was giving her a cold, piercing stare behind the lenses of his glasses. His eyes seemed to penetrate her down to her very soul; she felt like an open book. Shivering, she read the message in his eyes - two more days.

Two more days to figure out what love was before Roxas was gone.

* * *

**See, I told you. utter rubbish. but I have to hurry, cuz my mom might wake up at any moment. bye, everyone! :(**

**song used: _Love Story,_ Taylor Swift**


	12. Saltwater Room

**OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS, I'M ALIVE?**

**So tell me darling do you wish we'd fall in**

**l o v e?**

**Yeah, all the time.**

**all the time...**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"Kairi, is this _honestly_ necessary?"

"Don't burst my bubble."

Naminé sighed, zipping up the side of her knee length black boots. Kairi _insisted_ that they went undercover for a 'break-in mission' at the Shinra mansion - something Naminé honestly didn't understand the point of, since there was barely any security around the grand home. Naminé did manage to point this out to the red head, but Kairi was dead-set on wearing her high heeled 'secret agent' boots matched with her best pair of black sweats and mascara rubbed on her cheeks.

"Ok! I'm all set," she chirped, tying her hair up into a ponytail and tucking it tightly under a black beanie, "Now it's time for you."

Despite the utter foolishness the entire plan was, Naminé couldn't help but feel a little excited. She'd never had so much fun before - not including the night at the party - and Kairi was surly doing her best to keep Naminé happy. It wasn't everyday you could wear five hundred dollar boots and go '_James Bond-ing'._

Kairi moved away from the blonde, brandishing a mirror before her. Naturally, she had styled her hair into two perfectly symmetrical braids and smeared mascara along her cheeks as well - to top it off, Kairi slammed a beanie on her head that could cover her eyes. Naminé felt so foolish; she knew this plan wouldn't work, especially since she was so clumsy with her steps.

"We. Are. Ready," she whispered dramatically. Ven sighed from his roost by the door and rolled his eyes, stretching.

"Sheesh, Kai. Why do _I_ have to dress up? I'm only dropping you off," he whined, pulling at the black wool sweater Kairi forced him to wear. The red head pouted.

"Like I said to Naminé, don't burst my bubble." she grabbed a small black designer bag and slung it over her shoulder. Naminé, after kissing her sleeping father goodnight, followed.

After passing by the security guard's station, Kairi began masking each one of her clicking steps by walking heel-toe, heel-toe. Naminé raised an eyebrow, trying to keep her giggles suppressed as her friend failed to be sneaky. Ven was unsuccessful, as he snorted and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Kairi. We're not robbing a bank. Stop acting like we are," he snapped. Kairi stood up tall, pouting.

"Ok, fine. I'm sorry for waking you up at 2 AM, Venny, but I want to get in the mood," she mumbled back. Ven waved it off, opening his car door for Naminé and Kairi to enter the backseat.

Once on the road, Naminé's nervous jitters started to settle in her stomach. Ven's grumbling and Kairi's excited twitching wasn't helping at all - the two of them were completely oblivious to Naminé, who was rubbing her hands up and down her thighs in an attempt to calm down. What would happen once she saw Roxas? She wondered if he would be happy.

And, of course, another thought trailed back into her mind, playing and replaying like a broken record. _Do you really love Roxas? Do you really love Roxas? Do you really love Roxas? _She honestly couldn't answer.

What _was_ love? A step above like, sure, but how would you describe it? The tingling sensation in your fingertips, the warmth that flows into your chest, and the smile that feels like it would never go away? Shaking her head, she made a mental note to look the word up in a dictionary.

Lost in her thoughts, (still trying to decode the meaning of the word) she was shaken awake by a hissing Kairi.

"We're here!" she whispered, jerking a finger at the luxurious mansion as it slept two blocks down. It seemed spooky in the darkness with no lights illuminating it's glory - Naminé briefly thought of a haunted mansion. Quickly, Kairi lunged outside and thanked Ven, hurrying down the pavement, becoming one with the shadows.

Naminé hesitated in the car. She snuck a glance at Ventus, who was leaning back in the drivers seat with his eyes closed - trying to catch some much needed Zs. Biting her lip, she asked the question that plagued her mind.

"What did you mean by 'Do I really love Roxas'?" she blurted silently. One aqua orb opened to spy on her before closing again.

"I meant exactly that. _Do. You. Love. Roxas? _Not like, love."

Naminé contemplated the same thoughts again. Of course she liked him. Maybe she loved him. What was the difference?

Upon asking her last thought out loud, Ven chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "If you have to ask that question, then you need more time to think about it."

Puzzled, Naminé left the car.

She was still left idling on the sidewalk, lost in her troubled thoughts, when Kairi pulled on her arm and dragged her into the shadow of the gate. She put a finger to her lips and motioned with her hand to stay close and follow. Naminé nodded, pushing her thoughts aside and focusing on her feet.

Although Kairi was in heels, she was much faster and quieter than Naminé, who wasn't adjusted to moving in the darkness; she kept stumbling on cracks in the sidewalk, fire hydrants, and abandoned skateboards. Kairi was like a ninja; swiftly moving out of harm's way and scurrying along down the pavement.

"Sheesh, Nami! Can you at least try to be quiet?" Kairi moaned in exasperation as the blonde screamed and fell over a stray cat, which bit her in the process. Naminé rubbed her poor shin, grumbling to herself. "Now come on, the opening in the gate is over here."

Kairi pulled her aside and up to the far corner of the manor's gate; a bedroom window balcony could be seen, shrouded in darkness. Naminé looked up at the balcony in fear; how were they going to get up there?

Kairi ran towards the gate, looked both ways, and pulled on a loose iron pole so there was a big enough opening for both of them to squeeze through. She grabbed a somewhat large rock from under a nearby bush while doing so, and quickly scrambled towards the balcony.

"Roxas!" she whisper hissed, hoping to get his attention. Naminé thought that that was foolish, because the boy should be asleep at this time of night; well, morning. Kairi tried many more calls, but when nothing happened, she through the rock as hard as she could up to smack into the base of the balcony, watching the stone split clean in two and come tumbling back down. Kairi sprung out of the way just in time. A soft moaning sound echoed off the walls, and soon a groggy Roxas was unlocking the door to the balcony.

"What the heck?" Roxas grumbled as the sliding glass door moved aside. Kairi pumped her fist into the air in glee and dived into the open, performing an expertly tossed roll and remaining low to the ground. Naminé simply followed on foot - there was no way she was going to ninja roll across wet grass - biting her lip in nervousness.

She turned her back on the balcony and stepped slowly out into the dim moonlight, standing tall despite Kairi's hissing to crouch down. She could immediately feel Roxas's intense stare on her back, and blushed at the thought; this would be the first time she would see him in weeks, months even. She couldn't help but be scared.

Kairi had finally given up on her sneaky act and stood up, facing Naminé with a kind smile on her face. Nodding, she looked up to the balcony, where Roxas was standing. Naminé slowly turned her head, and with a burst of courage, looked up at the Romeo above.

He hadn't changed. Same sun kissed blonde spikes, though dull with bed-head, pointed to one side. She couldn't get a good glimpse of his eyes in the shadow, but she knew they were a bright crystal color. He was leaning over the railing, disbelief all over his face. Naminé froze under his gaze, captured again in that strange feeling of nostalgia and warmth.

It was Kairi who got things moving.

"Ok, Roxas, throw the ladder down already!" she shouted, putting her hands on her hips. Roxas seems to wake up form his daze, reaching behind a potted plant to retrieve a rope ladder that was tied securely around the balcony edges. He threw it over, and Kairi climbed up first, beckoning Naminé to hurry. She ran after her red-headed friend, a little excited to finally meet up with Roxas again.

Before she even fully swung herself over the ledge, Roxas had wrapped her up in the tightest embrace ever. It took her a while to gather her senses, but she too hugged him back.

"This…is real," he muttered into her hair. Hearing the happiness in his voice made her reflexively tighten her grasp on his shirt.

Naminé pulled away first; her heart was pounding and the feeling that her stomach was doing back flips wound not leave. Her fingers were tingling and she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face - was this love?

"…Roxas," she finally muttered. Kairi smiled from behind, walking into Roxas's room. The blonde couple followed.

"What are you doing here?" Roxas whispered, but the smile hadn't left his face. Kairi grinned, wrapping an arm around Naminé's slim shoulders.

"just coming by for a visit, hoping to fuel your fight. We don't want you to leave, Roxas," she whispered, winking.

Naminé was speechless. What could she say, when she hadn't seen Roxas for so long? Hi? How are you? She just couldn't open her mouth to speak - and the fact that she was smiling so wide was contributing to that.

"I missed you," she finally muttered, folding her hands in front of her and cocking her head to the floor, peeking up at him through her bangs. He smiled, taking her hand and sitting down on his bed.

"I missed you too," he muttered. Naminé took a seat next to him and sent her gaze around the room.

Typically, it wasn't spotless and beautiful like she expected. The room was large with black and white checkered tile flooring and royal red walls, but Roxas had his own version of home décor. Pictures of top-artist bands, family photos, and…a small picture of herself were on the walls, along with a long line of struggle medals lining the ceiling. His bed was round with black sheets and multi-colored pillows, and a red canopy hang overhead, one side of the curtains closed. All around her, littering the floor, were skateboard pieces, forgotten homework assignments, a fork or two, and books- lots and lots of books. A flat screen TV was mounted on the wall by his bed, and the plain white door stood out against the red paint, a small slit like a mail slot cut out of the bottom. Without realizing it, Naminé walked around, admiring the room.

"Sorry, I would have cleaned up a bit…" Roxas apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. She jumped, unaware of his presence directly behind her.

"No, it's fine. I like it," she whispered back, coming up to the picture of herself. She ran a finger over the glass layer of the frame.

It was the tree in the park across the street from Sakuranbo Froyo; She was sitting underneath it, most likely on her lunch break, eating a cup of Cheesecake ice with gummy bears on top. The cup was full of the delicious treat, but it was sitting forgotten next to her as she sat absorbed in a book. She was wearing her white dress - so it was a good day. Her facial expression was captured so perfectly, she couldn't help but smile softly, mirroring the picture.

"Oh…I know, it's a bit stalker-ish, but you looked so perfect… it was maybe two weeks after I first saw you," he whispered. He held his hands behind his back, smiling down at her. Naminé looked at him from over her shoulder.

"Stalker pirate," she mumbled playfully. He grinned, rolling his eyes.

"You know, it's because of this picture that I started to try that Cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt. I didn't add gummy bears until maybe two weeks later, but it's a pretty awesome combo," he admitted. Namine pouted and punched his shoulder, coming back to sit in the bed, where Kairi was flicking through TV channels, leaving the two alone.

"That was my combination. It's copyrighted," she joked, earning a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah. My true combo is Sea-Salt, all natural," he declared quietly, using a French accent. Naminé made a face, thinking about something so absurd as sea-salt flavored ice cream. Roxas laughed at the expression on her face and fell onto his back, watching the channel Kairi had chosen, which was - naturally - cartoons.

"It's actually really good! I'll have to take you to get some someday," he said, rolling his eyes at the fully absorbed Kairi.

"If we make it through…" she mumbled in response. Naminé sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"How have you been?" she asked, and Roxas looked over to her, smiling.

The two shared their past two months to each other, right down to the moment they were in. Roxas frowned when Naminé mentioned Seifer and Mizuki, but he still got a good laugh from Naminé's snap. He was also pleasantly surprised to hear that all of his friends - and half of his family - were trying to help him out.

"Wow, Kairi. I didn't know I was so loved," he said with mock sadness, wiping an imaginary tear away from his eye. Kairi rolled her eyes, finally turning her attention away from the screen.

"Of course we love you, stupid. We just don't like you when you're man-PMSing, so that's why I have Naminé," she elaborated, sticking her tongue out. Namine laughed at Kairi's word choice as Roxas scowled.

"_Roxas, are you still awake?"_

The room froze as a soft tap echoed off of the door. Roxas paled and immediately shot up, pointing under the bed. Kairi dived, but Namine was a bit too slow - Mr. Shinra was already entering the room when the last flick of her blonde hair disappeared. Luckily, the room was dark; they hoped that Rufus hadn't seen anything.

"Hey, dad," Namine heard Roxas sigh as he picked up the remote and flicked through more channels. _He is an excellent actor_, she thought to herself.

"Isn't it a bit late to be watching TV?" Rufus chuckled, and feet appeared in Naminé's line of sight. She held her nose in hope to mask her heavy breathing - adrenaline coursed through her body and her heart was pumping _very loudly_. She started to wonder if Mr. Shinra could hear it.

The bed above her compressed as Rufus took a seat by his favorite son. His feet were inches from her nose, and Naminé was wide-eyed and getting scared fast.

"Couldn't sleep," Roxas mumbled pathetically. Rufus sighed.

"I know this Halloween town thing is really irking you, but you know I don't want to send you away either. But your mother knows what's best."

"For me? Or the company?" Roxas growled, dropping the remote. Kairi poked Naminé's arm, pulling her farther under the bed.

"don't say things like that about your mother," Rufus snapped lightly, sighing again, "She's never seen a life outside of wealth. You can't blame her, really."

Roxas sighed. "Yeah, I know."

A long pause filled the room, and finally Rufus Shinra sighed. He picked himself off of the bed and marched over to the door, flicking the light on. "I'm sorry, Roxas. But I can't do this anymore. Naminé, Kairi, you can come out now."

Shocked, both Kairi and Naminé gasped, looking at each other in disbelief. How did he know…? Had he really seen her before she managed to duck under the bed? Kairi gulped and nodded, truly looking fearful. She popped her head out first, staring up at Rufus.

"Mr. Shinra, I -"

"Don't worry, child. I won't tell anyone that you're here," he chuckled, and Kairi grinned, pulling herself up. Namine followed, looking up at Mr. Shinra through her bands. Roxas was smiling happily.

"Thanks, dad." he said affectionately. Rufus nodded, pulling Namine into a hug.

"Child, how have you been? It's good to see you," he mumbled to the shocked Namine. She looked up at him curiously.

"Why…?"

"My Roxas loves you with all his heart, so I can consider you as my own daughter."

There it was. The L word again. Namine frowned. Roxas loved her, so he must have known the meaning of it; but she couldn't risk asking him, for fear of hurting his feelings if he took it the wrong way. Why wouldn't anyone describe love to her? Was it that complicated of an emotion or word?

"Roxas, you're in luck right now. Your uncle Luxord is requesting your mother's presence at Destiny Islands at the moment, and she left around ten minutes ago. She'll be back tomorrow morning, so I can't give you a lot of time together - so enjoy it wisely. Kairi, could you be a dear and retrieve Ven? Xion misses him," Mr. Shinra said quickly, releasing Namine and patting her on her shoulder. Kairi saluted, beaming, and dashed off. Rufus gave Roxas a curt nod before following.

Naminé, still jumbled, blurted the first thing that popped into her head. "Your dad is so cool."

Roxas chuckled in reply, nodding. "I know. At least we can be together one last time before I get shipped off," he mumbled sadly.

For some reason, this sentence - and the expression on his face - near shattered her heart. Was this love? She didn't want to be separated from Roxas, at least while he was being nice. He took her hand and squeezed it gently, wearing a fake smile. Tingles shot up her arm and she squeezed it back.

"Don't be sad. Kairi and I will try and find a way to stop it," she mumbled automatically, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"The damsel in distress is going to try and save the pirate?" he joked. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't think too lightly of girls! We're not just smart, you know," she remarked. Roxas waved it off.

"No, that breaks the rule. Boys are all brawn, girls are all brain. You can't be both."

"Sexist!"

"Am not! You brought it up!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"No I didn't!"

"You two will make such a good married couple. You've already got the arguing over stupid reasons down, now we just need the random PDA," Ven grumbled in the doorway, passing by with Xion clinging to his back.

"Like you show PDA with Shizuka!" Roxas retaliated.

"Shut up!" Ven shouted back. Xion hopped off of his back and lunged for Naminé, tears streaming down her face.

"Nami!" she shouted, wrapping her tiny arms around her legs. Namine patted her head affectionately, honestly pleased to see the small girl.

"Xion! Have you been a good girl?" she asked, crouching down. Xion nodded, sobbing.

"P-please d-d-don't let m-mommy take R-Roxie away!" she cried, burrowing into her chest. Namine sighed patiently, stroking her hair.

"I won't, honey. I won't let that happen," she promised quietly. Xion smiled, hugging her tighter.

"It's all up to you, Naminé. You have to prove to mom that you're a part of this family, no matter what. I mean look; Ven and Sora already accept you, and the hardest person to convince is Xion - she obviously loves you," Roxas said softly, crouching down next to her. Naminé looked up and around, realizing that the entire Shinra family was crowded in the room, watching the small exchange that was happening between the youngest Shinra and herself. She blushed, nodding.

But she couldn't get the look that Ven had given her out of her head; it was strict, scolding. A look that clearly read '_you'd better figure this out soon, or else it's too late.'_

What could she possible do?

* * *

**guys...I"M NOT DEAD! *dance party***

**I'm uber sorry. Junior year and all, I have no time AT ALL. **

**unfortunately, I'm ending this next chapter. but I promise you, it's full of Namixas LOVE. but I won't tell you if he leaves or not, so hee!**

**song used: _Saltwater Room_, Owl City (the CUTEST song ever, if I do say so myself. :D)**


	13. The Only Exception

**We've got to find other ways to make it alone, **

**Or keep a straight face.**

**and I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance**

**and up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with_ lonliness_**

**Cuz none of it was ever worth the risk**

**But _you_ are the Only E x c e p t i o n...**

* * *

Previously...

_"It's all up to you, Naminé. You have to prove to mom that you're a part of this family, no matter what. I mean look; Ven and Sora already accept you, and the hardest person to convince is Xion - she obviously loves you," Roxas said softly, crouching down next to her. Naminé looked up and around, realizing that the entire Shinra family was crowded in the room, watching the small exchange that was happening between the youngest Shinra and herself. She blushed, nodding._

_But she couldn't get the look that Ven had given her out of her head; it was strict, scolding. A look that clearly read 'you'd better figure this out soon, or else it's too late.'_

_What could she possible do?_

* * *

Chapter 13

Love (luv), n., v., loved, lov-ing. - n. 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. an intense personal attachment or affection. 3. a person toward whom love is felt. 4. a strong enthusiasm or liking. 5. a score of zero in tennis. -v.t., v.I. 6. to have love or affection (for). -idiom. 7. In love (with), feeling love (for). 8. Make love, a. to have sexual relations. b. to embrace and kiss.

Internet definition: 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

Naminé stared at the computer screen with narrowed eyes, slamming the dictionary closed in the process. What was this? It just piled more questions on her never ending stack rather than giving her answers. Sure, she had passionate affection for him, as well as a personal attachment, and a strong enthusiasm or liking. She immediately crossed off sexual relations and the score of zero in tennis as possibilities. However, she had embraced him plenty of times before, as well as shared a few kisses. Did that all add up to love? How could she tell? She closed the window aggressively on the computer screen and spun around in the rolling chair, pouting. Kairi, who was laying sprawled out on the bed, smirked.

"What is ailing you, dear maiden?" she joked, painting her index finger a bright, neon pink. Naminé rolled her eyes.

"I don't get it."

Kairi raised her eyebrows, dabbing her thumb with the pink liquid. "Don't get what?"

"Love."

"Ah," Kairi sighed with a smile, gesturing Naminé forward with a wag of her finger. She crept closer unwillingly, the pout still clear on her face. "Explain, please."

"I just don't understand, Kairi. Everyone keeps telling me that Roxas loves me-"

"He does."

"Exactly! And I don't know what to say back, because _I just don't get it!" _Naminé screeched. Kairi fought laughter off, putting her nail polish to the side. She jumped off the bed and locked the door, knowing for a fact that Roxas was going to return with some water in a few minutes. Naminé waited patiently.

With the threat of Scarlet Shinra's soon arrival, Naminé and Kairi had fled Roxas's room by Rufus's orders; he told them that Scarlet always like to check Roxas's room first, and if she discovered the two of them in there, the results would not be pretty. Of course, Roxas had offered to let them stay in a guest bedroom on the first floor, so Kairi took the chance and there they waited; because Rufus had a plan. Once Scarlet arrived home, he would assemble the entire family (plus Kairi and Naminé) into the dining room for a meeting, per say. It was Naminé's job to change Scarlet's mind about her.

But at the moment, Naminé couldn't get her head straight; the last look on Ven's face had been impressed into her brain, like a wallpaper she couldn't remove. That look just told her everything she needed to sort and plus more; she was running out of time, and she needed to fix this 'love' issue before she thought of anything else.

Roxas was getting a little worried. He didn't want his mother saying rude things to her, and he didn't want her to just throw Naminé out like the garbage she thought she was. He made her (literally) give him a goodbye kiss - just in case, he said - before letting them go downstairs. But Naminé couldn't erase the look on his face from her mind either. He seemed completely heartbroken. Destroyed. Disappointed. And the thoughts would reel back into the forefront of her mind.

Why.

Why did he make such a sad, painful expression? Why? Why? _Why? _Why did he constantly want to see her? Why was he moving away? Why couldn't Scarlet just accept her for who she was? Penniless, motherless, broken Naminé?

And just like that, she was filled with an unknown rage. Why, why couldn't Scarlet see that she was a sweet, caring girl who cared less about family entitlements and wealth? All she asked was more time with Roxas to untwist all of her confusing feelings and thoughts. Maybe that could help clear the whole 'love' dilemma - more time.

"So. You want my advice on love, huh?" Kairi mumbled at last, launching herself back at the bed, rolling over and grabbing her nail polish again. Naminé nodded dully. Kairi brought the brush to her pinkie finger as she spoke.

"Tell me exactly how you feel about Roxas. Do you enjoy his company? Do you like it when he kisses you like that? Does your heart race when he's around?"

Naminé opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out; she closed it and gave it some thought.

"I feel…frustrated. I do enjoy his company, but only when he's not being a complete jerk," she paused again and scowled. "And I want to punch him every time he kisses me out of the blue, but at the same time, I let him do it. And I guess, yeah, my heart does race. But what does that mean?"

Kairi shook her head sadly, giving Naminé a pointed look as she switched her hands, beginning to paint her thumbnail. "Have you ever had a crush on someone before?" she asked.

Naminé shook her head.

"Then this get's a little bit more complicated… When he smiles. How do you feel?" she asked.

"Well, when he smiles I can't help but smile back. But if he's smirking, I want to strangle him."

Kairi sighed. "Is there a difference?"

She seemed to have asked the correct question, because Naminé exploded; she began to describe, in full detail, the _exact_ difference between Roxas's smirks and smiles, hugs and kisses, and his facial expressions. When his eyebrows shot up into his hair, when his eyes dimmed in color, when his smile was weak, or when it was so incredibly wide it could challenge Sora's. Kairi merely sat back and listened, only the slightest bit stunned.

"And you can tell all of this just by watching him?" she mumbled when the blonde's rant was done. Naminé nodded briskly, huffing. Kairi smiled a knowing smile as she finished painting her nails.

"Naminé, that's called love," she murmured gently, and the blonde turned to look at her. "And stalking."

"I'm not stalking him! And how do you know?" she countered.

"I'm just sayin', but since that's the same way I feel about Sora, it's love."

Naminé stared at the red head, confused. "What?"

"That's love. Now see, with me and Sora, every time he complains about food, I want to punch him in the face. Bu then he gives me the cutest puppy dog pout, and I just want to curl up in his lap and stay there. It's a weird feeling, love," she explained.

Somehow, it left Naminé with more questions than answers, but she remained silent. What Kairi said made sense; you want to kill the boy at the same time you want to kiss him. She voiced these thoughts, and Kairi cheerfully nodded her head. "Exactly."

"But how do you know for sure?" Naminé questioned quietly, turning the monitor off.

"You don't."

Naminé cocked her head, puzzled. Kairi sighed, putting her nail polish away in one of the drawers behind her, in a nightstand by the bed. "It's a very complicated feeling. I can't tell you that you're in it, and neither can Roxas. It all depends on whether or not you want to admit it or not."

Naminé sat back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. So it was all up to her in the end? To her, she did love Roxas. But how much? She didn't know if she could answer that question. But she knew one thing for certain; she didn't want Roxas leaving just yet.

"Now getting to the matter at hand…what are you going to say when Rufus calls the meeting?" Kairi whispered gently.

Naminé frowned. "I don't know."

"You know, Sora and I came up with a general idea on why she hates you. We think it's because she sees your outer image, this frail, broken little girl, instead of the strong, overconfident beast inside. Scarlet is always after girls who can keep the Shinra company running, after all. Like me and Shizuka. We're independent, strong, and beautiful. You just have to show Scarlet that you are too."

Naminé swallowed the words whole heartedly, nodding her head slowly as she began to comprehend. It made sense, in a way; the reason why Scarlet wouldn't accept her, the reason why she always put her down. It was because she looked like a broken doll; a broken porcelain doll with only the smiling outer surface and no heart inside. She had to admit that she was a bit fragile, but she could handle large amounts of work no problem, despite her appearance. It was simply a case of judging a book by it's cover; and Naminé just had to show Scarlet it's contents.

"I get it. I think I know what to say," she mumbled, and Kairi beamed. She hopped off the bed and approached the door, turning back last second and motioning for her to follow.

"Good. Now, we need to find you some new clothes; I, as a member of the Mochizuki family, renowned fashionistas, am not going to let you do this in that outfit."

Believe it or not, Kairi managed to navigate her way back upstairs and into Shizuka's room without being seen by anyone, even maids and butlers. When they opened the door, they found the brunette quietly reading a book at the desk in the corner while Ventus was finally getting his well deserved sleep sprawled out on the bed, tangled in a heap of sheets. The duo approached the table.

"Shizu? We need some threads," Kairi whispered. Shizuka looked up, surprised to find the two of them there, but smiled and pointed to the closet on the other side of the room. Kairi grinned. "Thanks."

"Be careful, Ven's a light sleeper," she whispered back, winking.

They made it to the closet no problem, and Kairi quietly shut the door. From that point on, Naminé didn't want to know what she was doing; she had assaulted the clothing racks so fast, it was like a blur of red and black. Sooner than predictable, Kairi was in a clean pair of jeans and a blood red T-shirt that hugged her waist. A gold necklace stood out around her neck, and a small star shaped charm hung from it.

"Ok, now it's your turn. Since your figure is more feminine, I'm going for a white skirt, blue shirt, white half-jacket. Search," Kairi commanded, and Naminé trudged into the mess she had created unwillingly.

Maybe twenty minutes later, Kairi had found what she was looking for and made Naminé change; the outcome was a smooth, flowing skirt under a dark blue V-neck T-shirt with a half-sleeved white jacket on top. It looked very official on Naminé, and it made her look like very feminine, like a secretary. Namine twirled once for Kairi's enjoyment and the duo headed out.

Ven was awake, detangling himself from his covers and failing. "God damn it - What are you two doing in here?"

Kairi stuck her tongue out as Shizuka giggled. "I needed more clothes. Can't have Naminé presenting herself to Scarlet dressed like a ninja."

Ven narrowed his eyes but said nothing, resuming his battle with the bed sheet monster. Shizuka closed her book and stood up, moving towards the bed and helping him; she grabbed the corner and pulled, sending the eldest Shinra toppling to the floor. Kairi and Naminé snorted in amusement.

"Laugh all you want…" he mumbled as he stood up, glaring at his fiancée, who only smiled innocently.

"It's a Shinra habit to get lost in bed sheets. It's actually quite fun doing that," Shizuka lifted the corner of the comforter slightly. "Because they always topple out of bed."

"I will _so_ keep that in mind. Sora does it too," Kairi said victoriously as an evil smirk crossed her face. Naminé stared at Ventus, who was practically identical to Roxas, and had to let out a decent laugh. It was just such an entertaining image. Kairi realized this and grinned.

"You know, it's almost time. Have you planned on what you're going to say to mom?" Ven asked, glancing at the clock on his nightstand. Naminé's giggles were cut short and she choked slightly, returning to silence. She still hadn't given it much thought.

Naminé just turned and stared out of the window, at the dreary storm clouds hanging overhead, wondering what she would do or say to make Scarlet believe her. What _could_ she say to make Scarlet believe her? A little voice in the back of her mind whispered nothing. And she knew it was right. She could do nothing. She could say nothing, nothing at all that could change Scarlet's opinion of her.

But she had to try.

"Nami? Trust me, you'll be fine. Sora, Roxas, Ven, Shizu, and I will all be there to help you out," Kairi consoled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Naminé welcomed the gesture, though she was still locked in her thoughts.

As if she needed more things to worry about, Ven's wallpaper-like look popped back into her head. _You'd better figure this out soon, before it's too late. _She glanced at Ventus, who she had always looked up to as a brotherly figure; was there a secret meaning behind that look? She thought she had accomplished the feat of accepting her feelings for Roxas; but had she really? As if he was reading her mind, Ventus looked up; his expression hardened, and he raised his eyebrows, like he was asking a question. Naminé didn't answer and simply looked away.

A knock came on the door; Rufus entered slowly, his expression unreadable. When he noticed Kairi and Naminé, he smiled slightly. "It's time," he whispered.

It was now or never.

Scarlet was not surprised to find Naminé sitting at their family table, looking scared and a tad bit frustrated. She simply gave her husband a strange look before sitting down, fanning papers out in front of her and writing notes down on them. Roxas glared.

"Ok, I've called the family down to discuss Roxas's leave to Halloween Town," Rufus started, standing at the head of the table. He quickly sat down and folded his hands under his chin, staring at Scarlet, urging her to speak. She groaned and stood.

"I am sending Roxas to Halloween Town's boarding school to be educated in a mannerly way, as well as learn the importance of discipline," she answered ruthlessly, refusing to look at anyone surrounding her. She quietly sat down and continued working.

"Now, any objections?" Rufus asked, and all hands shot up.

"Ok, first off, Roxas is my twin brother! My other half! You would damage the bond we share for 'mannerism'? come on, mom," Sora shouted. Scarlet looked up at him, clearly not amused.

"A brotherly bond, you say? Why is it that whenever I find you two alone, you're constantly fighting and hurting each other?"

Sora and Roxas stayed silent, the former grinning sheepishly.

"That's a sibling thing. I hate these two," Ven pointed at the twins in question. "But I love them at the same time. It's like an obligation you're given as a brother to beat the living daylights out of your younger siblings."

"Hey!"

"Ven, that's bullshit!"

"Yeah, shut up! Just because you were born first-"

"It gives me the right! Roxas, Sora, don't make me hurt you-"

"Try it!"

"Fine, you little brats-"

"BOYS!" Rufus shouted, catching their attention. Naminé was thoroughly amused, but when she glanced at Shizuka and Kairi, they were looking at their fingernails in a bored manner. Kairi looked up and met Naminé's eyes. "Happens all the time," she grumbled.

"Sorry…" the trio mumbled dejectedly.

"Getting back to the point…Xion, why don't you want Roxas to leave?" Rufus asked his youngest, who almost burst into tears.

"Because he's my Roxie! Don't make Roxie leave, mommy! Please don't make him leave! I love him!"

Naminé's ears perked up at the mention of love. She stared at the crying five year old questioningly, losing herself in thought. Xion loved Roxas; but was it like an obligation, as Ven had said? The look on Xion's face as well as the tears that streamed down her cheeks proved otherwise. She began to ponder some reasons behind it; love. Xion loved Roxas because he was always looking out for her, taking care of her when she was down. He always played with her, smiled with her, and protected her. Naminé could see why Xion loved him; but what about her? She glanced quickly at Roxas, who was staring sadly at his favorite little sister.

Now that she was here, staring at Scarlet Shinra across the table, she was positive there was nothing she could do. Scarlet was not a woman of reason; she wouldn't listen to her, never. No matter what she said. No matter what she did. She figured that the best she could do to keep Roxas in Twilight Town was promise to stay away from him and his entire family.

"Kairi?"

"Roxas is my future brother-in-law. As I have stated before, It is my duty to bully him senseless. But…also as his future sister-in-law, he's grown on me. Roxas can seem like a total pessimistic jerk, but I know deep down he's just lonely. If you took him away from his only friends - his family - how do you think he'd react?" she whispered softly, looking at Roxas with tender eyes. He looked back, thankful. They both looked towards Scarlet, who was completely ignorant, scribbling down some more notes on her papers.

"Thank you, Kairi. Now…Naminé?"

She stood up, her palms growing sweaty and her heartbeat escalating. Now Naminé was sure she was going to die inside. Standing at the Shinra family table, staring at Scarlet Shinra, she had a nagging feeling - this was not going to end well. Kairi and Sora smiled apologetically and gestured for her to continue, but she found she couldn't. Her body was shaking, and she could feel herself pale; the color draining from her face as her heart started pumping faster, like she was running in a marathon. She could feel it - her occasional panic attacks were going to come. She needed to breath, to slow down and stop worrying; but she couldn't move.

"Naminé? Are you ok?" Kairi asked, concerned. She placed a hand on Naminé's arm, instantly quelling her anxiety. She looked at Kairi and gave her a weak smile.

"I'm fine," she mumbled pathetically, looking back at Scarlet. She was looking at her suspiciously over her papers.

"I…I've only known Roxas for a short time. But…I guess something happened at that party; he showed me how much fun I could have, how free I could be. I've only known my life at school, work, and home. I never really had any free time," she started, staring directly into Scarlet's eyes and refusing to break eye contact. Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears; it was like someone was talking for her, some hidden, miniature version of her, one that actually made sense and had everything figured out already; Naminé gladly passed the spotlight to this mini-me. She kept talking and listening all at the same time, judging Scarlet's reactions.

"That party was…you could say the start of my life. The first time I was introduced to a new world, a world of smiles, laughter, and friendship. I finally experienced that, for the first time in my life." Tears began to sting the back of her eyes; she didn't realize that she was getting so emotional. "Ever since I was five years old, I've been raising myself along with my father. Alone, without any help. It made me who I am today."

"Child, where was your mother?" Rufus asked, his tone one of pity and his expression saddened. Kairi looked up at her with a doleful look as well as Sora and Roxas.

"Yes, do tell, where was your mother?" Scarlet sneered, but her tone was less venomous. Naminé bit her lip, trying hard to fight her tears back.

"I-I'd rather not say," she mumbled, a sniff escaping her barrier. Scarlet narrowed her eyes.

"So you raised your family all on your own? I may have misjudged you. Maybe you do have what it takes to run a portion of my company. But to have a mother who does not care for her daughter is outrageous; having a member of a family like that, it is unacceptable," she hissed. Naminé couldn't control it anymore; a tear slid down her cheek.

"Mom, stop," Roxas commanded, a bit harshly. Scarlet ignored him.

"Honestly, with such filth for parents, I'm surprised you turned out as pure as you appear," she bashed, her words like knives being thrown at her heart. The sensible miniature Naminé recoiled back into her mind. "I would never assume the mother of a child like yourself was a low-life."

"Don't talk about my mother like that!" Naminé shouted at last, pounding her fists on the table.

"I will not change my view on the matter until I meet her in person!" Scarlet shouted back, rising to her feet. Naminé scraped her wrists along her eyes, trying to stop her tears. "Y-you can't!" she managed to choke out between sobs. "You can't meet my mother!"

"Why not?" Scarlet demanded in return. She broke out into a hideous, painful wail, and, with a final puff of breath, screamed.

"Because _I don't have one!"_

Silence seemed to overlap the entire room, and she could hear a collective intake of breath; not that she cared. She stopped fighting the tears, and instead let them flow freely down her face, her body shaking with sobs. She felt everything she had bottled up inside for all those years explode in one moment; the loss of her mother, the grief, the heartache the loss of her friends, moving towns, starting new, helping her father, getting a job, everything. All of her emotions, some she had never even dreamed about feeling, came pouring out. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Pain.

It wasn't until he pulled her to his chest did Naminé realize that Roxas was trying to console her; _all _of them were trying to console her. She could see Kairi's horror-stricken face lingering close, her hands rubbing soothing circles on her back, Sora's look of pure shock as he hovered behind Kairi, even Rufus Shinra, who stood at the end of the table, looking down with saddened eyes. To get away from it all, she plunged her face into Roxas's shirt; her tears were quick to stain it, and they never stopped. He rocked her back and forth in silence.

Scarlet Shinra stood alone at her dining room table, stunned into silence. This girl was just full of surprises, wasn't she? And no matter what, she just couldn't get rid of her. This poor, status-less girl had left her speechless. Had left her without a thought, without a plan; and for the first time in a long time, she was pleased. Happy. She looked down at Naminé, a broken blob of white on the ground, and instead of seeing nothing but garbage, she saw a version of herself; hardworking, boring, nothing left to lose but her sanity, which could be debated upon. For the first time, everything she had been taught in her life - love was no matter, power was everything - suddenly had no meaning.

She remembered her past. Watching her father cry at her mother's funeral, probably as this child had done in her young life. Listening to him as he lectured her on how love was nothing but a mistake; if one wanted to get married, they wed for power. Money. They wed to make a company stronger. Like she had done with Rufus; everything led to power, didn't it? She had even given away her first two sons for power; if anything, she was relieved to see them interacting, _loving_ their future spouses. Everything made sense.

Naminé did not look up. Her tears continued to flow like endless rivers, soaking up Roxas's shirt like a towel. Her suppressed memories were coming back to the forefront of her mind; she couldn't stop them, and they replayed like a broken film reel.

A family vacation. A beautiful destination. They never got there.

Naminé remembered. She saw the other car first, before her mother or father, but she didn't know what was happening. Before she could point it out, it had driven straight into her mother's side of the car, crushing them, pushing them into oncoming traffic. More cars slammed into the already wrecked vehicle. Naminé was being tossed around in her child car seat, her head smacking into everything; she began to cry. People were screaming. Her father was gone. When she opened her eyes, she was trapped in a metal tent.

It took the authorities three hours to get her out.

For a moment, she believed she was back in that folded automobile, trapped and alone, her fears closing in on her. But when she opened her eyes, she was greeted with something much better; deep ocean blue eyes, filled with nothing but concern. She gave a weak smile and hugged Roxas with everything she had in her being.

"M-My mother died in a car crash when I was five," she mumbled, refusing to let go. Roxas wound his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.

"Tell me. Did your father quit his job because of your mother's death?" Scarlet asked calmly, her voice even. Naminé pulled away and looked at her, sniffing. Unable to answer, she simply nodded.

"Naminé… you have taught me something or great value today. You have taught me again what it is like to be human; to be normal," Scarlet continued, and even a small smile spread across her face. Rufus stared at his wife with loving eyes; that was the Scarlet he had married, the Scarlet he knew deep inside. The Scarlet who understood others pain, and tried to help them.

"W-What?" Naminé mumbled incoherently. A part of her just couldn't believe her ears; but the other part was dying to understand her.

"I've misjudged you. I did something I never should have done, and I judged a book by its cover. I'm sorry," Scarlet said with deep meaning, and she went as far as bowing. Naminé's eyes widened in shock; she dabbed at them quickly with her sleeves and shook her head vigorously, her hair whipping Roxas in the face.

Scarlet could finally see where she had gone wrong; she thought she was protecting Roxas by keeping him away from her. She was holding him hostage because she was afraid; if Roxas was truly in love with this girl, then he would defy her orders to take over the Shinra Company. He would run away with her. Elope with her. Be together with her. She was afraid he would make all the wrong mistakes; when it was her at fault all along. She never looked past Naminé's social status - her lack of power or money - to see the pain, the good, the _power_ she held inside. As she stared at the blonde girl in front of her, she could see it at last; a bright future. Naminé was not a cockroach in her plan to successfully run Shinra Corporation; she was much, much more valuable.

But she wasn't completely satisfied; she needed words. Truths. _Proof_. She stared at Naminé with her brand new eyes and smiled slightly.

"Naminé, do you love my son Roxas?"

* * *

**OH MY GOD. I've probably lost half my readers by now...PLEASE COME BACK! DX I'm sorry this took WAAAAAAAAAAAAY longer then I expected. I hit a road block with this story, and when I finally manged to get around it, I wrote fifteen pages of pure ick. So I started the whole chapter over, maybe four to five days ago. I've been really low on Inspiration lately, and I havn't been able to write anything; maybe a oneshot or two, but nothing for my chaptered stories.**

**There's also the fact that I'm a Junior in High School, and things are getting pretty hectic with my schedule. I have to go to school every so often just for testing, (I'm an independent studier) I have to train at my gymnastics center, and then there's gymnastics competitions coming up. (God, in march we have three competitions back to back! I'm going to die...) Plus all the college application crap, and SATs, and tommorrow I'm going to Southern Utah University for a drop by visit (Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get a scholorship!) and I just never had time to write. I assure you, though, that I am trying. I'm hoping that the next story I update is _Ups and Downs_, so be ready for that, hopefully. **

**Again, I am so sorry. Beyond Sorry. **

**Song Used: _The Only Exception_, Paramore**


	14. Ours

_**Previously:**_Scarlet_ could finally see where she had gone wrong; she thought she was protecting Roxas by keeping him away from her. She was holding him hostage because she was afraid; if Roxas was truly in love with this girl, then he would defy her orders to take over the Shinra Company. He would run away with her. Elope with her. Be together with her. She was afraid he would make all the wrong mistakes; when it was her at fault all along. She never looked past Naminé's social status - her lack of power or money - to see the pain, the good, the power she held inside. As she stared at the blonde girl in front of her, she could see it at last; a bright future. Naminé was not a cockroach in her plan to successfully run Shinra Corporation; she was much, much more valuable._

_But she wasn't completely satisfied; she needed words. Truths. Proof. She stared at Naminé with her brand new eyes and smiled slightly._

_"Naminé, do you love my son Roxas?"_

* * *

**If you were here we'd laugh about their**

**vacant stares**

**but right now**

**my time is theirs...**

* * *

The sun was relentless as it beat down upon a small shop across from a park on main street. Children were springing around in the happy euphoria that was summer; everywhere you looked, there was nothing more than a carefree, enjoyable attitude that came with the whole concept of vacation. Families were splayed out all over the square, shopping, playing, enjoying the weather; every shop was booming with business. Even the little shop titled "Sakuranbo Froyo", where a young blonde woman was hurriedly passing money to and from the cash register.

_There I was again tonight_

_Forcing laughter faking smiles_

_Same old tired __**l o n e l**__**y**__ place…_

Customers poured in through the door, tracking mud and grime from the grassy park all over the neatly mopped black and white tiles; the blonde woman frowned distastefully at the thought of cleaning them up again, but she decided that there wasn't much of an alternative. Since the heat was so strong, people would be coming in all day.

A man with a mullet suddenly appeared in the front with an instrument only known as a sitar; he took a seat on the counter and began to pluck the strings, setting a light, cheerful mood. The customers stopped to watch him as he continued his performance, slowly stopping the string of customers; he turned and gave the blonde woman a wink, which she quickly assumed was her cue to clean.

The woman stripped off her apron and quickly proceeded to the outdoor tables, collecting empty cups and spoons before wiping them down; she ran back inside and grabbed her mop, cleaning up after her dirty customers while her boss continued his gentle melody. Delicately propping a 'wet floor' sign up on the ground, she threw the mop back behind the counter and ran back to the register, where a small line was forming. As she began to collect money again, the music stopped, and she smiled.

"Thanks, Demyx," she whispered as the small crowd clapped. Demyx returned her smile and took a bow.

"No problem, Naminé. I'll help today."

The young woman – Naminé - bowed to show her thanks before manning the cash register again; she watched her boss pick up an old apron from the corner of her eye.

"Thank you, Naminé. It's an honor to be served by you," a young couple said as she handed them their change. She shook her head and smiled as a reply.

"Enjoy your frozen yogurt!" she answered cheerfully – casually avoiding the 'honor' subject – and waved as the couple departed.

Newspapers littered the clean tables of the restaurant, and every single one had her face on it; she ignored this fact daily, as Demyx had vehemently disagreed to throwing them out. The headline read 'Heir to Shinra Companies finds fiancé?' followed by her senior picture; very pretty, manicured and clean, just the way Kairi liked it. The story was everywhere; the press had followed her around for at least a month. But two years had passed since the incident, and she was free again, working daily at the frozen yogurt shop despite her newly inherited wealth.

Looking at the newspapers brought up painful memories of her past; the terrible talk with Scarlet Shinra that ended with a mental breakdown, the horrible goodbye to her fiancé, and the two years of agony waiting for his return; she busied herself with work at both the frozen yogurt story and Shinra's art department, along with her studies at the University to keep her mind away from these thoughts. But no matter what she did, the memories would resurface and turn her mood a slight bit more sour.

_Seems like there's always someone who_

_**D I s a p p r o v e s**_

_They'll judge us like they know about me and you_

_But the verdict comes from those with nothing else to lose_

_The jury's out_

_But my choice is __**y o u**__…_

Taking money from the last customer in line, she sighed before relaxing against the counter. Two years; he should be returning soon. After all, High school was finished for the both of them, and boarding school was now in his past. He should have been back months ago; but according to his letters, he had Shinra business to attend to.

She held onto his letters like a lifeline; they constantly reminded her that she was not forgotten. He wrote to her about everything; the punishments at Castle Oblivion Boarding School, the horrible lunches, and often, how much he missed her. She replied whole-heartedly with her boring work schedule and the progress of their future portion of Shinra Companies. The void was never properly filled, however.

_This was the very first page _

_Not where the __**s t o r y b o o k**__ ends_

_My thoughts will echo your name_

_Until I see you __**a g a I n**__…_

She recalled that night, when Rufus Shinra called the family meeting and she had intruded. The day when Scarlet Shinra changed her mind about her, and asked her that horrid question that plagued her sixteen year old mind. She smiled at this particular memory; it turned out to be one of her better ones.

_Do you love Roxas?_

That question that seemed so impossibly hard to answer wasn't that difficult at all; many moments of her life flashed before her eyes after that question was left to hang in the air. She remembered the window at school, the tree, and their fateful meeting in the frozen yogurt store. The stain, the rose, the party, everything flooded her like a tidal wave. She never felt so many emotions at once before in her life. But there was something in that moment that made her look to Roxas; the flicker of a million emotions displayed his nervousness. That moment, sharing each other's thoughts and feelings through a mere glance, decided her answer.

"_Yes."_

Of course, the whole household decided to throw a party in their honor; leading the celebration, none other than Kairi. Within the hour, in front of hundreds of noble men and women across the country, Roxas and Naminé were engaged. It was strange, being introduced as Lady Naminé Shinra, heir to Shinra Enterprises and fiancé of Roxas Shinra, but Roxas's firm hold on her hand kept her from reeling; he refused to let her go for the remainder of the night. However, as midnight approached, Scarlet Shinra delivered the bad news; Roxas still had to leave for C.O.B.S. (A/N: lol COBS. Castle Oblivion Boarding School) the new couple wasn't very disappointed, however. They decided to just spend the time they had together peacefully.

_Your hands are tough but they are where_

_Mine __**b e l o n g**__ in_

_I'll fight their doubt and give you __**f a i t h**_

_With this song for you…_

The next day, when she and her father were invited to Shinra manor, she was met with an unexpected surprise; Rufus was offering her father a job in the weapons department (Sora's new department, as it was later announced) and a room in the manor to stay in. Her father accepted tearfully and even hugged Rufus; he could only awkwardly pat her father on the back as he cried. Naminé was happy for him, and when Rufus offered to show him his new room, she persuaded him to go on without her; Rufus happily offered to be his tour guide. They left soon after to 'bond'.

Roxas had come as soon as her father had left; he was quiet, but seemed to be overflowing with both nervousness and excitement. Naminé was a little confused, but took his hand and allowed him to lead her to his room.

Naminé smiled; this was one of her most treasured memories, and she even released a small giggle as her heart warmed.

Roxas had taken her out onto his balcony, into the unexpectedly warm winter air. The sun was high in the sky and a gentle breeze hugged her arms. She resisted the urge to admire the scenery and kept her gaze focused on Roxas, who was eagerly fishing around in his many pockets for something.

At long last, he pulled out a velvet box; with the pop of the lid, a beautifully priceless diamond ring was glittering in the sunlight.

_He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring_

_And said_

_Marry me __**J u l i e t**_

_You'll never have to be alone_

_I __**l o v e**__ you and that's all I really know…_

Naminé twirled the silver band around on her finger, letting the small diamond send glittering lights all across the walls. It was a simple little thing, really; the silver was stainless, with nothing special about it except the engraved pattern wrapping itself all the way around it. The diamond nestled on top was a tiny little thing with a light blue tint, but sparkled brighter than any gem in the world. Roxas had told her that the gem was almost an exact replica of the color of her eyes; a warm icy blue that glittered. She sighed blissfully before grabbing a rag and walking around the counter, planning to clean the toppings area – the small children that came in were like a tornado, and the whole set up was a giant mess.

While wiping bits of chocolate sauce off of the glass covering, her mind wandered again, back to her past, two year ago. After his flawless engagement, Roxas had to leave; when she brought up the subject of unfairness, he only smirked and told her that if he didn't propose now, then when he came back, she might belong to someone else. Despite her denying, his answer didn't change; he only responded with "Just to be sure."

She rolled her eyes just thinking about it. He went through all that trouble to win her over, and when he finally did, he was worried about her leaving? Men were so silly.

At the airport, the farewell was oddly…comfortable. Roxas held onto her hand until the very last second, and as he was walking away, he promised write before disappearing through the crowd. Before she could walk away, however, he called to her again and as she turned around to face him, she was greeted once again with one of his surprise kisses. Before she could respond, he was lost in the sea of travelers.

After plucking some peanuts out of the small cracks in between containers, Naminé sighed and resigned herself back behind the counter to people watch and get her mind off of his departure.

As if sensing her boredom from Mochizuki Incorporations, her phone began to jingle with Kairi's famous ringtone; she picked it up on the second ring.

"Hey, Kairi."

Her best friend jumped straight to the point. "_Oh my god, Naminé! Roxas is back in town! Aren't you excited?"_

She released a small chuckle before absently wiping the counter top. "Yeah. But it's still a little hard to get excited when you're bored and stuck behind a cash register for another two hours."

Kairi scoffed on the other line. "_I told you to get rid of that job a long time ago-"_

"I can't just leave Demyx hanging! He's helped me out a lot!"

"_I know, I know, but still. Ven and Shizuka went to pick Roxas up from the airport; he'll be at home when you're done with work."_

the thought made her heart skip a beat and she began to twirl her ring again. "That's great," She breathed, smiling.

Kairi didn't find her reaction enthusiastic enough. "_Don't die from excitement Naminé. Roxas's heart will break," _She scoffed playfully.

"Shut up, Kairi! I'm just…nervous," she admitted. Her engagement ring continued to twirl around and around.

"_Why_?"

"I don't really know. What do I say to him?"

"_Nothing. Just kiss that fool!"_ came Kairi's witty response. Naminé rolled her eyes. "Of course you would say that. Oh, I have customers, Kai. I'll call you later," she bid, quickly stuffing her phone back into her pocket. She put on her fake smile and sang out the Sakuranbo greeting as a small group of people filed in. She checked each person out and took her congratulatory compliments earnestly.

Suddenly, two medium sized cups with cheesecake frozen yogurt slid into her view. Upon further inspection, she noticed the colorful dots of gummy bears. She smiled and totaled the customer's pay; the man silently pulled out exact change and stared at her.

"That's a nice choice, sir. I hope you enjoy it," she said sincerely. She thought the man was a bit odd. He was wearing a thick overcoat with a baseball hat and his hood on over it. Sunglasses and a scarf blocked off his entire face, and his hands were gloved. Naminé couldn't really understand his fashion choices, especially when it was at least a hundred degrees outside; maybe he was one of those people who were afraid of sunlight or something.

_And you stood there in front of me just _

_Close enough to __**t o u c h**_

_Close enough to hope you _

_Couldn't see what I've been thinking of…_

"Naminé Shinra, huh?" the man grunted, his scarf muffling his voice slightly. Naminé twitched, slightly flustered. The man's voice was so husky and deep, yet vaguely familiar…it sent shivers down her spine.

"Not quite yet, sir. I'm still a Saito," she responded, a blush staining her cheeks. The man seemed to frown under his mask.

"I'd say that Naminé Shinra suits you better than Naminé Saito," he commented gruffly. She blushed again; why was this man pestering her?

"T-thank you."

"Where's you meet Roxas?"

The question didn't throw her into confusion; she had been asked the same question almost every day by curious customers. Answering it seemed like a script by now.

"I met him here, in this store," she answered politely. The man thrust one of the cheesecake filled cups into her hands and leaned onto the counter. Naminé frowned at the frozen yogurt.

"Take it. It's your favorite, after all," he told her gruffly. She narrowed her eyes at him; no one really knew what her favorite style of Froyo was. Who was this man?

"Thank you," she said none the less, stabbing the creamy substance with a spoon but leaving it alone. "Why did you buy me a frozen yogurt?"

"Because you're pretty," he responded naturally.

Naminé's eyes narrowed more still. "I'm engaged, as you know," she replied stiffly. She moved around the counter and grabbed a rag, intentionally trying to get away from the stranger. However, just as she rounded the counter, a little boy flew by with an overflowing cup of pink strawberry-banana frozen yogurt; when she collided with the boy, her contents spilled all over her white dress.

She groaned; this dress was most certainly a frozen yogurt magnet. She mentally chided her stupidity; she should have remembered to put her apron back on, but she was too lost in her thoughts. After assuring the child's mother that she was fine, she began scrubbing away at the red stain.

_I'm on guard with the rest of the world _

_But with you I know it's no good_

_And I could wait patiently but _

_I really wish you would_

_Drop __**e v e r y t h i n g**__ now…_

Warm hands encased her own; she froze, her body going rigid, as the hands gently guided her fingers to dab the stain, not rub it in. she recognized the sleeve of the coat as the stranger's from before; suddenly, she felt violated.

"Please, I can handle this. You don't have to trouble yourself," she told the man, pulling away from his embrace. His hand didn't relent, however, and she was soon crashing into his chest.

"I insist," he mumbled into her ear, sending more shivers down her spine. The man was a head taller than her, and could easily hold her in his embrace despite her struggles. She felt so uncomfortable, but at the same time, she felt like she belonged in his arms; a sense of guilt flooded her as she imagined Roxas's face if he walked through the door and saw her in another man's embrace. With a final tug, she pulled away.

"P-please step away from my personal bubble," she mumbled quietly, snatching the rag away from him and furiously rubbing away at the stain. The man took her hand again and grasped the rag.

"It comes out better if you dab it. Watch," he told her, doing as he said. Naminé stood there numbly and let him work, giving in. she would just have to get away somehow.

"There, see? Isn't that better?" he cooed. She looked at the stain, and naturally, the stranger was right; she was suddenly reminded of her last run-in with frozen yogurt, when Roxas had done exactly the same thing. She shook her head and fought the urge to smile.

"Thank you," she bade, turning on her heel to walk away. The man snatched her wrist and pulled her close again.

"I'm not done with you."

Naminé processed the words carefully before deciding to panic. Why wasn't anyone helping her? There were so many people in the store, yet no one was bothering to come to her aid. Did no one see the distress on her face, or find the man scary looking? She suddenly felt like she needed to scream.

"Demyx –"

She couldn't finish her warning call; warm lips were upon hers, soft and tender, yet fierce. The kiss was hungry, demanding even. She could feel the painful feelings this man held through his gentle touch. When he pulled away, she felt numb, elated, and guilty for enjoying the kiss.

The man pulled back, shoved his hands into his trench-coat pockets, and braced himself.

_SLAP!_

Naminé's reaction was immediate as her hand pulled back to deliver a strong burst of power into the stranger's face. She felt so ashamed, letting a stranger take advantage of her like that. She was engaged! She had a fiancé! But her worst feeling was guilt over the fact that the kiss was amazing and it literally knocked her off of her feet. No one else should have been allowed to kiss her except Roxas. How dare she disgrace him by kissing another man? She felt horrible.

"You pervert!" she screeched, pulling her hand back to deliver another blow. The man caught it in the air, pulling his trench-coat and hat off, revealing a spiky head of dirty-blonde hair. Naminé's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Same response as last time, froyo counter girl. Is that any way to greet your fiancé after being apart for two years?"

She stared at Roxas and took in his appearance. His hair was slightly longer, and his spikes were hanging in front of his eyes, but otherwise, there was no difference. He looked exactly the same as he did two years ago, minus the tacky outfit. Her body went numb as she processed the events of the last five minutes. The stranger. Cheesecake frozen yogurt. Little kid. Dab, not rub. Spontaneous kiss. Everything was Roxas. Slowly, her body began to unthaw. She stared into his unchanging ocean blue eyes until they were blurry with tears.

_Get me with those __**b l u e**__ eyes baby_

_As the lights go down_

_Give me something that will haunt me when you're not around…_

"Seriously, counter girl. Are you crying?" he joked gently, patting her on the head as silent tears streamed down her face. She sniffed in response. "You are crying."

She flung herself at him, her sobs breaking through to loud painful wails as she squeezed him as tightly as possible, refusing to let go. Roxas whole-heartedly returned the embrace, and the two fell to the floor in a heap; the customers around them began to applaud and take pictures.

"T-this is all your i-idea!" Naminé accused bitterly between sobs. Roxas stroked her hair as a response, cooing. When she was calm enough, he picked her up and dusted her off.

"Well?"

She turned around at the voice and was surprised to see her boss and future sister-in-law, Shizuka; her hair was long now, and pulled back into a ponytail. Naminé wondered how she managed to miss seeing her here.

Suddenly, Ven popped up from behind the counter. "He insisted on stopping by because he couldn't wait to see you," he explained with a lopsided smirk, pushing his glasses up higher onto his nose.

"Did you like your little surprise?" Shizuka asked. Naminé, still sniffling from her crying fit, nodded. She squeezed Roxas's hand like a vice.

"Well, the family's waiting. We better get home," Ven said, checking the clock on the far wall. He sent a thumbs-up to Demyx before moving besides Shizuka. Demyx winked at Naminé before shrinking back into his hidey-hole.

"They're throwing me a party. Will you come?" Roxas asked cutely, bringing a rose out from behind his back. Despite her hysterics, Naminé laughed. It was like a blast from the past; being asked to a party with a rose. She hugged Roxas again and held onto him tightly, as if he would disappear.

_Don't you let it go_

_I'm __**w o n d e r s t r u c k**_

_Blushing all the way home_

_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_

_I was __**E n c h a n t e d**__ to meet you…_

Naminé knew he was real. He wasn't a dream. He was really there, in her arms, hugging her back. After two long years of endurance, he was back. The ring on her finger seemed to come to life as it shot twice as many rainbow colored lights around the room; everything seemed brighter again. When she finally pulled away, she initiated something she would never normally do; she grabbed his collar and brought him down, crashing her lips against his.

When they pulled away, Roxas was grinning. "I missed you too."

_I miss you, I missed you all along_

_And I need you_

_Been far away for far too __**l o n g**__…_

They both laughed; Naminé felt so complete again. Her everyday boring lifestyle would finally change for the better now that Roxas was back. She felt giddy with excitement as she pulled him towards the door, surprisingly excited for a party for once. Roxas chuckled before turning back, snatching two cups off of the counter. He handed one to her.

"Cheesecake topped with gummy bears. Your favorite," he said with a smile. She grinned back and took the spoon, popping a bite into her mouth.

"Yeah. My favorite."

And she knew everything was right again. Naminé Saito was still the same hardworking, quiet, busy-body with two jobs and University classes that she was before. She was still supporting her father, though they no longer had to scrape by. She was still the pure innocent child who didn't believe in love until it snuck up on her.

With her hand entwined with Roxas's, she knew that everything was going to be alright; so without worries, she took a huge bite out of her never changing classical favorite frozen yogurt.

"My favorite. Cheesecake Topped With Gummy Bears," she murmured, grinning.

Her love pain was finally over.

_Life makes love look hard._

_The stakes are high;_

_The water's rough,_

_But this love is _

_**Ours.**_

* * *

_**Songs Used: Enchanted, Ours, Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift**_

_**Far Away - Nickleback**_

_**FIN~**_


End file.
